Plasma density ramp for relativistic self-focusing of an intense laser: comment

Abstract

Gupta et al. [J. Opt. Soc. Am. B.24, No. 5 (2007)] have introduced a localized upward plasma density ramp to overcome the defocusing of a laser beam. We report that there are fundamental mistakes in their work. First, the density profile formula that they have introduced is dimensionally incorrect. Second, the calculated dielectric constant is wrong as well, which renders their main spot size equation and the quantitative results unacceptable, and it seriously falters the results of the self-focusing. We correctly derived a new equation of the spot size, and the computational curves are also presented.