Splash plasma channels produced by picosecond laser pulses in argon gas for laser wakefield acceleration

Short-lived, similar to 10 ps, deep plasma channels, with their lengths of similar to 1 mm and diameters of similar to 20 mu m, are observed and characterized in Ar gas jets irradiated by moderate intensity, similar to 10(15-16) W/cm(2), laser pulses with a duration from subpicosecond to several picoseconds. The channels, upon 2D particle-in-cell simulations including ionization, fit well in the guiding of high intensity femtosecond laser pulses and, therefore, in laser wakefield acceleration with a controllable electron self-injection. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.15.121301