Plasma angular momentum transfer from strong optical-field ionization

Chen-Kang Huang^1*, Jyhpyng Wang^1,2

¹Institute of molecular and atomic sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
²Physics, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan

* Presenter:Chen-Kang Huang, email:powercurt@gmail.com

A transient spiral density pattern is found in an optical-field ionized plasma produced by an intense laser pulse carrying angular momentum. The angular momentum of the laser beam, which is associated with the polarization state and the spatial phase structure, can be effectively transferred to the laser-induced plasma via the ionization process. The spiral pattern is a result of a bounded system with nonzero angular momentum. This phenomenon is explained by plasma fluid theory and studied by computer simulations.

Keywords: Laser plasma, Optical angular momentum, Pattern formation, Ultrafast optics