One of the remarkable phenomena in the laser-matter interaction is the extremely efficient energy transfer to [Formula: see text]-photons, that appears as a collimated [Formula: see text]-ray beam. For interactions of realistic laser pulses with matter, existence of an amplified spontaneous emission pedestal plays a crucial role, since it hits the target prior to the main pulse arrival, leading to a cloud of preplasma and drilling a narrow channel inside the target. These effects significantly alter the process of [Formula: see text]-photon generation. Here, we study this process by importing the outcome of magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the pedestal-target interaction into particle-in-cell simulations for describing the [Formula: see text]-photon generation. It is seen that target tailoring prior the laser-target interaction plays an important positive role, enhancing the efficiency of laser pulse coupling with the target, and generating high energy electron-positron pairs. It is expected that such a [Formula: see text]-photon source will be actively used in various applications in nuclear photonics, material science and astrophysical processes modelling.

ELI Beamlines Centre Institute of Physics Czech Academy of Sciences Za Radnicí 835 25241 Dolní Břežany Czech Republic

National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology Kansai Photon Science Institute 8 1 7 Umemidai Kizugawa Kyoto 619 0215 Japan

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