Plasma Concept for Generating Circularly Polarized Electromagnetic Waves with Relativistic Amplitude

Abstract: Propagation features of circularly polarized (CP) electromagnetic waves in magnetized plasmas are determined by the plasma density and the magnetic field strength. This property can be applied to design a unique plasma photonic device for intense short-pulse lasers. We have demonstrated by numerical simulations that a thin plasma foil under an external magnetic field works as a polarizing plate to separate a linearly polarized laser into two CP waves traveling in the opposite direction. This plasma photonic device has an advantage for generating intense CP waves even with a relativistic amplitude. For various research purposes, intense CP lights are strongly required to create high energy density plasmas in the laboratory.