Dynamics of relativistic laser-produced plasmas

We present a brief overview of physical processes in a plasma under the action of relativistically strong electromagnetic radiation generated by high-power lasers. Attention is focused on nonlinear waves in a laser plasma for the creation of compact electron accelerators. Then, we address the acceleration of plasma bunches by the radiation pressure of light, which is the most efficient regime of ion acceleration. Coherent hard electromagnetic radiation in the relativistic plasma is generated in the form of high harmonics and/or electromagnetic pulses, which are compressed and intensified after reflection from relativistic mirrors created by nonlinear plasma waves. These processes are of interest in view of the development of novel methods for acceleration of charged particles and the development of sources of bright and hard electromagnetic radiation.