ABSTRACT
An analytical fluid model is proposed for the generation of strong quasistatic magnetic fields during normal incidence of a short ultraintense Gaussian laser pulse with a finite spot size on an overdense plasma. The steepening of the electron density profile in the originally homogeneous overdense plasma and the formation of electron cavitation as the electrons are pushed inward by the laser are included self-consistently. It is shown that the appearance of the cavitation plays an important role in the generation of quasistatic magnetic fields: the strong plasma inhomogeneities caused by the formation of the electron cavitation lead to the generation of a strong axial quasistatic magnetic field Bz. In the overdense regime, the generated quasistatic magnetic field increases with increasing laser intensity, while it decreases with increasing plasma density. It is also found that, in a moderately overdense plasma, highly intense laser pulses can generate magnetic fields approximately 100 MG and greater due to the transverse linear mode conversion process.
