Anticorrelated emission of high-harmonics and fast electron beams from plasma mirrors

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the first observation of anticorrelated emission of high-order harmonics and energetic electron beams from plasma mirrors, revealing the influence of nanoscale surface structures on emission properties.

Contribution

It introduces the control of plasma mirror nanoscale behavior via in-situ tuning of the density gradient scale length, affecting harmonic and electron emission.

Findings

Anticorrelated emission observed between high-harmonics and electron beams.

Nanoscale surface structure influences emission characteristics.

In-situ measurement of plasma surface scale length using interferometry.

Abstract

We report for the first time on the anticorrelated emission of high-order harmonics and energetic electron beams from a solid-density plasma with a sharp vacuum interface$-$plasma mirror$-$driven by an intense ultrashort laser pulse. We highlight the key role played by the nanoscale structure of the plasma surface during the interaction by measuring the spatial and spectral properties of harmonics and electron beams emitted by a plasma mirror. We show that the nanoscale behavior of the plasma mirror can be controlled by tuning the scale length of the electronic density gradient, which is measured in-situ using spatial-domain interferometry.