Bow Wave from Ultraintense Electromagnetic Pulses in Plasmas

We show a new effect of the bow-wave excitation by an intense short laser pulse propagating in underdense plasma. Because of spreading of the laser pulse energy in transverse direction, the bow wave causes a large-scale transverse modulation of the electron density. This can significantly increase the electric potential of the wake wave since the wake wave is generated in the region much wider than the laser pulse waist.