Relativistic High-Current Electron-Beam Stopping-Power Characterization in Solids and Plasmas: Collisional Versus Resistive Effects

We present experimental and numerical results on intense-laser-pulse- produced fast electron beams transport through aluminum samples, either solid or compressed and heated by laser-induced planar shock propagation. Thanks to absolute Kα yield measurements and its very good agreement with results from numerical simulations, we quantify the collisional and resistive fast electron stopping powers: for electron current densities of ≈8×1010A/cm2 they reach 1.5keV/μm and 0.8keV/μm, respectively. For higher current densities up to 1012A/cm2, numerical simulations show resistive and collisional energy losses at comparable levels. Analytical estimations predict the resistive stopping power will be kept on the level of 1keV/μm for electron current densities of 1014A/cm2, representative of the full-scale conditions in the fast ignition of inertially confined fusion targets. © 2012 American Physical Society.