TY - JOUR AB - Channel formation during the propagation of a high-energy (120 J) and long duration (30 ps) laser pulse through an underdense deuterium plasma has been spatially and temporally resolved via means of a proton imaging technique, with intrinsic resolutions of a few μm and a few ps, respectively. Conclusive proof is provided that strong azimuthally symmetric magnetic fields with a strength of around 0.5 MG are created inside the channel, consistent with the generation of a collimated beam of relativistic electrons. The inferred electron beam characteristics may have implications for the cone-free fast-ignition scheme of inertial confinement fusion. AU - Smyth,AG AU - Sarri,G AU - Vranic,M AU - Amano,Y AU - Doria,D AU - Guillaume,E AU - Habara,H AU - Heathcote,R AU - Hicks,G AU - Najmudin,Z AU - Nakamura,H AU - Norreys,PA AU - Kar,S AU - Silva,LO AU - Tanaka,KA AU - Vieira,J AU - Borghesi,M DO - 10.1063/1.4953547 PY - 2016/// SN - 1089-7674 TI - Magnetic field generation during intense laser channelling in underdense plasma T2 - Physics of Plasmas UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4953547 VL - 23 ER -