Simulations of laser-produced electron propagation in a thin foil

Energetic electrons are produced in the interaction of a petawatt laser with a plasma near the critical surface. The propagation of an intense electron beam through an ionized solid-density slab using a hybrid fluid-kinetic electromagnetic simulation code is examined. These calculations transport 250–1000 J of electrons with 1–5 MeV directed energy. The electrons are produced in a spot diameter of 30 microns with duration of 5 ps. The simulations ran for up to 33 ps. The background material remains fully-ionized and dissociated CH2 (or fully-ionized Al) with an initial 5-eV temperature. All coulomb collisions are followed. All species are modeled with kinetic equations except for the fluid electrons laid down at the start of the calculation. These simulations neglect all inelastic collisions, including ionization and excitation. Results from both two and three-dimensional simulations of electron transport in solid-density plasma and in vacuum are presented.