A simulation of laser energy absorption by a nanowired surface

Abstract

The quest for strategies for performing nuclear fusion induced by laser remains open despite recent experiments demonstrating energy gain. A major challenge of the field is to surmount the plasma shielding which prevents the deposition of larger fractions of the energy of the laser rays into the target. Recently, a petawatt laser and computer simulations were used to show that a nanowired surface enables the trapping of the rays and the formation of a high density plasma. Here we simulate the laser target interaction considering a 0.5 TW laser and compare the energy absorption by both a smoothed and a nanowired target. We show that the nanowires enable a stronger laser-target coupling despite the absence of the trapping of the rays. Our results point out on the necessity of a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying the higher absorption of the laser energy by the nanowired surfaces.