Long-lived hot and dense plasma from relativistic laser–nanowire array interaction

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Abstract
Long-lived hot and dense plasmas generated by ultra-intense laser beams are of critical importance for laser-driven nuclear physics, bright hard X-ray sources, and laboratory astrophysics. We report the experimental observation of plasmas with nanosecond-scale lifetimes, near-solid density, and keV-level temperatures, produced by irradiating periodic arrays of composite nanowires with ultra-high-contrast relativistically intense femtosecond laser pulses. Jet-like plasma structures extending up to 1 mm from the nanowire surface were observed, emitting K-shell radiation from He-like Ti20+ ions. High-resolution X-ray spectra have been analyzed using 3D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of the laser–plasma interaction combined with collisional–radiative modeling (FLYCHK). The results indicate that the jets consist of plasma with densities of 1020–1022 cm−3 and keV-scale temperatures, persisting for several nanoseconds. We attribute the formation of these jets to the generation of kilotesla-scale global magnetic fields during the laser interaction, as predicted by PIC simulations. These fields may drive long-timescale current instabilities that sustain magnetic fields of several hundred tesla, sufficient to confine hot, dense plasma over nanosecond durations.
Funding Information
  • Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (05P21SJFA2)
  • European Cooperation in Science and Technology (CA21128)
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (398816777)
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (512648189)
  • Russian Science Foundation (24-62-00032)

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