Stability of a plasma foil in the radiation pressure dominated regime

The stability of a thin plasma foil accelerated to relativistic velocities by the radiation pressure of an ultra high intensity electromagnetic pulse is investigated. The effects of the onset of a Rayleigh-Taylor-like instability are discussed in the context of the ion acceleration process during the interaction of the laser pulse with the plasma. It is stressed that the experimental study of this advanced laser plasma interaction regime will be accessible within the framework of the ELI experiment and will be of relevance for our understanding of high energy astrophysical phenomena.