Role of collisions in particle-in-cell modeling of high-density short-pulse laser-plasma interaction

One-and-one-half-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) modeling with restored short-encounter collisional behavior is used to model the interaction of high-intensity short laser pulses with plasmas. The role of Coulomb collisions in expanding thin plasma targets at solid density is particularly investigated. It is shown that collisions play an important role for plasma expansion and ion acceleration mechanisms, even at high laser intensities. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.