Peculiarities of laser-driven acceleration of a flat projectile up to 'thermonuclear' velocities

Theoretical and numerical results on laser-driven acceleration of flat foil to ultrahigh velocity of the order of 1000 km/s, which corresponds to an achievement of thermonuclear temperatures due to an inelastic impact, are reported. The comparison with experiments performed on the Gekko/HIPER laser, where a laser-driven projectile achieved the record-breaking velocity is presented. The laser pulse and foil parameters responsible for acceleration of the projectile up to 'thermonuclear' velocities in a dense state have been determined