Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 30, 2026

Investigation of Early Plasma Evolution Induced by Ultrashort Laser Pulses
Published on: July 2, 2012
Explanations for the observed increase in fast electron penetration in laser shock compressed materials
Batani1, Davies, Bernardinello
1Dipartimento di Fisica G. Occhialini, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Bicocca and INFM, Italy.
Abstract:
We analyze recent experimental results on the increase of fast electron penetration in shock compressed plastic [Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 1003 (1998)]. It is explained by a combination of stopping power and electric field effects, which appear to be important even at laser intensities as low as 10(16) W cm-2. An important conclusion is that fast electron induced heating must be taken into account, changing the properties of the material in which the fast electrons propagate. In insulators this leads to a rapid insulator to conductor phase transition.
Related Concept Videos
Photoelectric Effect
Shock Waves
When the source's speed approaches the speed of sound, constructive interference between successive wavefronts emitted by the source occurs immediately behind it. Initially, scientists believed that this constructive interference would result in such high pressures...
Scanning Electron Microscopy
Fundamental Principles
Accelerated...

