Absorption of relativistic multi-picosecond laser pulses in wire arrays*

We study the interaction of intense multi-picosecond laser pulses with arrays of carbon wires attached to solid substrates. We find that laser absorption in wire arrays resembles that in flat targets with very large uniform plasma density gradients. Performing two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we optimize target parameters like wire thickness and -distance for energy absorption of a 2ps laser pulse with a large focal spot; this has implications for x-ray- and charged particle source development.