Experimental analysis reveals directional debris ejection from petawatt laser pulses hitting metal targets, indicating substantial front-side mass expulsion.
Key Points
Relativistic laser-plasma interaction ejects debris predominantly toward the laser interaction side rather than the target rear, establishing distinct directional patterns.
Several percent of total debris ejection aligns closely with the target normal, while overall mass loss spans hundreds of micrograms per shot across solid targets.
Experimental analysis across metal targets confirms predictions from non-mass-limited models, highlighting debris risks for optics in high-power laser facilities.
Cite This Study
Vladisavlevici et al. (2024) studied this question.