On the distribution of hot electrons produced in short-pulse laser - plasma interaction

Information about the energy distribution of hot electrons generated by the interaction of short-pulse (0.7 ps pulse duration at laser wavelength) and high-intensity laser beams with solid targets is derived from measurements of the spectral and angular distribution of hard x-rays with energies above 10 keV. The measurements were carried out with thermoluminescence dosemeters and a nine-channel spectrometer. A comparison of experimental data and model calculations shows that under the conditions of our experiment the hot-electron distribution deviates significantly from a Maxwell - Boltzmann shape with a single-electron temperature parameter.