ИСТИНА

The stability of a thin plasma slab accelerated by the radiation pressure of a high intensity electromagnetic pulse is investigated analytically and with particle in cell numerical simulations. It is shown that the onset of a Rayleigh-Taylor-like instability can lead to transverse bunching of the slab. At the nonlinear stage of the instability development the plasma slab breaks up into separated clumps, which are accelerated by the wave radiation pressure similarly to the plasma cluster acceleration by the electromagnetic wave. In the case of the electromagnetic wave interaction with homogeneous plasma the instability develops in a thin layer at the electromagnetic pulse front.