Particle-in-Cell modelling of laser-plasma interaction using Fourier decomposition

A new Particle-in-Cell code developed for the modelling of laser-plasma interaction is presented. The code solves Maxwell equations using Fourier expansion along the poloidal direction with respect to the laser propagation axis. The goal of the code is to provide a three-dimensional description of the laser-plasma interaction in underdense plasmas with computational load similar to bidimensional calculations. Code results are successfully compared with three-dimensional calculations. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.