Ambient air plasma acceleration in tightly-focused ultrashort infrared laser beams

TL;DR

This study uses advanced simulations to analyze electron acceleration in ambient air by tightly-focused ultrashort infrared laser beams, revealing optimal conditions and confirming the relativistic ponderomotive force as the key mechanism.

Contribution

It introduces an analytical model coupled with PIC simulations to accurately analyze and optimize laser-driven electron acceleration in ambient air.

Findings

Electron energies up to approximately 1.6 MeV achieved at 2.5 μm wavelength.

Relativistic ponderomotive force confirmed as primary acceleration mechanism.

Optimal laser parameters identified for maximum electron acceleration.

Abstract

Recent experimental and theoretical results have demonstrated the possibility of accelerating electrons in the MeV range by focusing tightly a few-cycle laser beam in ambient air. Using Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations, this configuration is revisited within a more accurate modelling approach to analyze and optimize the mechanism responsible for electron acceleration. In particular, an analytical model for a linearly polarized tightly-focused ultrashort laser field is derived and coupled to a PIC code, allowing us to model the interaction of laser beams reflected by high-numerical aperture mirrors with laser-induced plasmas. A set of 3D PIC simulations is performed where the laser wavelength is varied from 800 nm to 7.0 $\mu$m while the normalized amplitude of the electric field is varied from $a_{0} = 3.6$ to $a_{0} = 7.0$. The preferential forward acceleration of electrons, as well as the analysis of the laser intensity evolution in the plasma and data on electron number density, confirm that the relativistic ponderomotive force is responsible for the acceleration. We also demonstrate that the electron kinetic energy reaches a maximum of $\approx1.6$ MeV when the central wavelength is of 2.5 $\mu$m.