Enhancement of Axial Magnetic Field Generation during Relativistic Self-Channeling of Laser Radiation Propagating Along Thin Films

Abstract

Within the framework of a stationary model of relativistic self-focusing, it is shown that the addition of a thin layer of denser plasma on the propagation axis of a circularly polarized beam increases the axial magnetic field generated by it via the inverse Faraday effect by more than a factor of 10 compared to the case of a homogeneous plasma. The magnitude of the axial field in this case can exceed the magnetic field of the laser wave, which makes it possible, at radiation intensities ~10²⁶ W/cm² potentially achievable in the near future, to approach the level of teragauss quasi-stationary fields.