Absorption and opacity threshold for a thin foil in a strong circularly polarized laser field.

Abstract

We show that a commonly accepted transparency threshold for a thin foil in a strong circularly polarized normally incident laser pulse needs a refinement. We present an analytical model that correctly accounts for laser absorption. The refined threshold is determined not solely by the laser amplitude, but by other parameters that are equally or even more important. Our predictions are in perfect agreement with particle-in-cell simulations. The refined criterion is crucial for configuring laser plasma experiments in the high-field domain. In addition, an opaque foil steepens the pulse front, which can be important for numerous applications.