On the discharge in laser plasma in an external electric field

Abstract

The possibility of creating discharge in laser plasma in an external electric field with quasi-static current generation along the field is discussed. The knowledge of the quasi-static current generation mechanism in laser plasma, associated with the rarefaction shock wave (RSW), allows the determination of the spatial distribution of these currents during laser irradiation of a planar target. Having included the (planar or cylindrical) target into an external contour, we propose a discharge scheme in laser plasma, where the discharge current increases during the laser pulse.