Optical field ionization effects on the generation of wakefields with short pulse lasers

In recent experiments involving high intensity short pulse lasers, large wakefields have been observed to occur even when the pulse is much longer than the length necessary to generate wakefields. It was observed in the experiments that the plasma wave starts near the position of the ionization front. The whole process of wake amplification from optical field ionization to Raman scattering is investigated by using a one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation code which includes the effect of optical field ionization.