Opacity of relativistically underdense plasmas for extremely intense laser pulses

Abstract: It is generally believed that relativistically underdense plasma is transparent for intense laser radiation. However, particle-in-cell simulations reveal abnormal laser field absorption above the intensity threshold about~$3 \times 10^{24}~\mathrm{W}\,\mathrm{cm}^{-2}$ for the wavelength of $1~\mu \mathrm{m}$. Above the threshold, the further increase of the laser intensity doesn't lead to the increase of the propagation distance. The simulations take into account emission of hard photons and subsequent pair photoproduction in the laser field. These effects lead to onset of a self-sustained electromagnetic cascade and to formation of dense electron-positron ($e^+e^-$) plasma right inside the laser field. The plasma absorbs the field efficiently, that ensures the plasma opacity. The role of a weak longitudinal electron-ion electric field in the cascade growth is discussed.