Relativistic plasma control for single attosecond x-ray burst generation.

We show that managing time-dependent polarization of the relativistically intense laser pulse incident on a plasma surface allows us to gate a single (sub)attosecond x-ray burst even when a multicycle driver is used. The single x-ray burst is emitted when the tangential component of the vector potential at the plasma surface vanishes. This relativistic plasma control is based on the theory of relativistic spikes [T.

Theory of high-order harmonic generation in relativistic laser interaction with overdense plasma.

High-order harmonic generation due to the interaction of a short ultrarelativistic laser pulse with overdense plasma is studied analytically and numerically. On the basis of the ultrarelativistic similarity theory we show that the high-order harmonic spectrum is universal, i.e.

Bubble regime of wake field acceleration: similarity theory and optimal scalings.

A similarity theory is developed for ultra-relativistic laser-plasmas. It is used to compare and optimize possible regimes of three-dimensional wake field acceleration. The optimal scalings for laser wake field electron acceleration are obtained analytically.

Coherent focusing of high harmonics: a new way towards the extreme intensities.

We demonstrate analytically and numerically that focusing of high harmonics produced by the reflection of a few-femtosecond laser pulse from a concave plasma surface opens a new way to unprecedentally high intensities. The key features allowing the boosting of the focal intensity are the harmonics coherency and the small exponent of the power-law decay of the harmonics spectrum. Using similarity theory and direct particle-in-cell simulations, we find that the intensity at the focus scales as I(CHF) alpha a(3)(0)I(0), where a(0) and I(0) alpha a(2)(0) are the dimensionless relativistic amplitude and the intensity of the incident laser pulse.

A laser-plasma accelerator producing monoenergetic electron beams.

Particle accelerators are used in a wide variety of fields, ranging from medicine and biology to high-energy physics. The accelerating fields in conventional accelerators are limited to a few tens of MeV m(-1), owing to material breakdown at the walls of the structure. Thus, the production of energetic particle beams currently requires large-scale accelerators and expensive infrastructures.