It is shown that the effective hot electron temperature,
Thot, associated with the energetic electrons
produced during the interaction of an ultra-intense laser with thin solid
targets is dependent on the thickness of the target. We report the first
direct experimental observations of electron energy spectra obtained from
laser-solid interactions that indicates the reflexing of electrons in thin
targets results in higher electron temperatures than those obtained in
thick target interactions. This can occur for targets whose thickness,
xt, is less than about half the range of an
electron at the energy associated with the initial effective electron
temperature, provided the laser pulse length is at least
cτp >
2xt. A simple theoretical model that
demonstrates the physical mechanism behind this enhanced heating is
presented and the results of computer simulations are used to verify the
model.