Abstract
Interaction of high-power and high-energy lasers with matter generates plasmas emitting considerable amounts of relativistic electrons. In this contribution such plasmas were produced by PALS kJ laser facility delivering the beam with intensity of the order of 3 ⋅ 1016 W ⋅ cm−2 in 400 ps on thin foil metal targets. To study the emission of hot electrons in horizontal plane around the target, an array of electron spectrometers was employed to record the electron emission from the plasma in several angles around the target. For experimental determination of the total number of hot electrons escaping from the plasma through the plasma barrier a target probe was used in order to measure the target return current which neutralizes the positive target charge produced by these escaping hot electrons. Together with this diagnostics the femtosecond interferometry was used to obtain spatial electron density profiles in close proximity to the irradiated target at selected time delays. Interferograms indicated occurrence of plasma density modulations in front of the target and made it possible to calculate the number of electrons contained within thermal fraction of the plasma produced by the laser. The number of these electrons correlates with the flux of soft x-ray radiation observed with the use of an x-ray streak camera.