Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Article number | 084010 |
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<mark>Journal publication date</mark> | 08/2014 |
<mark>Journal</mark> | Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion |
Issue number | 8 |
Volume | 56 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Publication Status | Published |
Early online date | 22/07/14 |
<mark>Original language</mark> | English |
As lasers become progressively higher in power, optical damage thresholds will become a limiting factor. Using the non-linear optics of plasma may be a way to circumvent these limits. In this paper, we report on simulations showing an enhancement to plasma wakefield self-compression of femtosecond laser pulses due to an ionization gradient at the leading edge of the pulse. By operating in a regime where wakefield generation is driven by moderately relativistic (similar to 10(18) W cm(-2)) laser pulses and proper choice of gas species, the ionization front of the pulse can lead to a frequency shift that enhances the ponderomotive force and therefore both the wakefield generation and subsequent pulse compression.