Obtaining Intense Attosecond Pulses In The Far Field From Relativistic Laser-Plasma Interactions

In this paper, we show that the Gouy phase shift plays a key role in the far-field waveform evolution of the reflected harmonic radiations from plasma surfaces driven by a relativistic Gaussian laser. With a proper adjustment of laser focal position away from the plasma surface, the inherent separations between the peaks of different harmonic carrier waves as well as the fundamental wave due to different wavelengths can be cleared away when they propagate from near to far field, since they experience the same Gouy phase shift of pi/2. Using this method, intense attosecond pulses can be obtained in the far field with no need of any spectral filters. Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that far-field attosecond pulses with intensity of 4 x 1015 W/cm2 (2.56 x 1017 W/sr; 65 times increase) and duration of 76 as (50% decrease) can be obtained by lasers at intensities of 1021 W/cm2. Such brilliant pulses with fully reserved spectra significantly benefit applications in attosecond science.