Mapping the Damping Dynamics of Mega-Ampere Electron Pulses Inside a Solid

We report the lifetime of intense-laser (2×10^{19} W/cm^{2}) generated relativistic electron pulses in solids by measuring the time evolution of their Cherenkov emission. Using a picosecond resolution optical Kerr gating technique, we demonstrate that the electrons remain relativistic as long as 50 picoseconds-more than 1000 times longer than the incident light pulse. Numerical simulations of the propagation of relativistic electrons and the emitted Cherenkov radiation with Monte Carlo geant4 package reproduce the striking experimental findings.