3D kinetic simulation of super-intense laser-induced anomalous transport

A three-dimensional Particle-In-Cell simulation describing the interaction of an intense laser beam with a plasma slab is presented. It is observed that the laser-generated electron current decays into magnetically isolated filaments. The filaments grow in scale and magnitude by a merging process in the course of which the field topology changes. The opposite process also takes place occasionally. The laser-driven charge and energy flows and the reconnecting magnetic field mutually interact. At the end of the merging process flows and magnetic fields are large close to the laser irradiated surface of the plasma slab. Both decrease rapidly in the bulk plasma. Due to the magnetic pressure in the filaments hollow density channels in the electron density are formed. The simulation reveals that net charge flows in these channels can exceed the classical Alfvén current.