  The hard x-ray emission in the energy range of 30-300 keV from copper plasmas
produced by 100 fs, 806 nm laser pulses at intensities in the range of
10$^{15}-10^{16}$ W cm$^{-2}$ is investigated. We demonstrate that surface
roughness of the targets overrides the role of polarization state in the
coupling of light to the plasma. We further show that surface roughness has a
significant role in enhancing the x-ray emission in the above mentioned energy
range.
