Light wave driven electron dynamics in clusters

The dynamics of solid-density nanoplasmas driven by intense lasers takes place in the strongly-coupled plasma regime, where collisions play an important role. The microscopic particle-in-cell method has enabled the complete classical electromagnetic description of these processes. The theoretical foundation of the approach and its relation to existing methods are reviewed. Selected applications to laser cluster processes are presented that have been inaccessible to numerical simulation so far. The dynamics of solid-density nanoplasmas driven by intense lasers takes place in the strongly-coupled plasma regime, where collisions play an important role. The microscopic particle-in-cell method has enabled the complete classical electromagnetic description of these processes. The theoretical foundation of the approach and its relation to existing methods are reviewed. image