Filamentation instability of a fast electron beam in a dielectric target

High-intensity laser-matter interaction is an efficient method for high-current relativistic electron beam production. At current densities exceeding a several kA μm⁻², the beam propagation is maintained by an almost complete current neutralization by the target electrons. In such a geometry of two oppositely directed flows, beam instabilities can develop, depending on the target and the beam parameters. The present paper proposes an analytical description of the filamentation instability of an electron beam propagating through an insulator target. It is shown that the collisionless and resistive instabilities enter into competition with the ionization instability. This latter process is dominant in insulator targets where the field ionization by the fast beam provides free electrons for the neutralization current.