Simulation of the dynamics of laser-cluster interaction

We study the interaction of an intense (I ≳ 10¹⁵ Wcm^-2) femtosecond laser pulse with a large (N > 10000 atoms) rare-gas cluster. The simulations are based on a mean-field classical transport approach. The electronic dynamics during the interaction with the laser are discussed in more detail. In particular we point out the difference in behavior between the fast electrons and the collectively moving slow electrons and try to shed light on the acceleration mechanisms behind the high energy tail of the electron energy distribution. The benchmark for our simulations is experimental X-ray spectroscopy data. We show a comparison with the experimentally found total X-ray yields and charge-state distributions.