Picosecond Development of High Harmonic Emission from Co2 Laser-Produced Plasmas

Abstract
Spatial and temporal characteristics of the 10th and 11th harmonic lines generated in plasmas created by intense (1014 W · cm-2) nanosecond CO2 laser pulses have been studied. It is found that the spatial origin of these high harmonics is related to the laser intensity distribution in the focal region, and that there is considerable picosecond substructure in their temporal development.