arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P. D'Oliveira.
We present a compact 10 kHz Ti:Sa front-end relying on an original double-crystal regenerative amplifier design. This new configuration optimizes the thermal heat load management, allowing producing a 110 nm large spectrum and maintaining a good beam profile quality. The front-end delivers up to 5 W after compression, 17 fs pulses with a 170 mrad shot-to-shot residual CEP noise.
The interaction of laser pulses with thin grating targets, having a periodic groove at the irradiated surface, has been experimentally investigated. Ultrahigh contrast ($\sim 10^{12}$) pulses allowed to demonstrate an enhanced laser-target coupling for the first time in the relativistic regime of ultra-high intensity $>10^{19} \mbox{W/cm}^{2}$. A maximum increase by a factor of 2.5 of the cut-off energy of protons produced by Target Normal Sheath Acceleration has been observed with respect to plane targets, around the incidence angle expected for resonant excitation of surface waves. A significant enhancement is also observed for small angles of incidence, out of resonance.