Parametric instabilities and electron heating in ultra-intense laser-plasma interaction

Journal Article · Fri Feb 20 00:00:00 EST 1998 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.55241· OSTI ID:21185585

Mora, P; Adam, J C; Heron, A; Guerin, S; Laval, G; Quesnel, B ^[1]

---

1. Centre de Physique Theorique (UPR 14 du CNRS), Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex (France)

The general dispersion relation for electron parametric instabilities of an ultra-intense circularly polarized laser wave is established for arbitrary plasma density. It corresponds to a generalization of the stimulated Raman scattering instability, the relativistic modulational instability, the relativistic filamentation instability, and the two plasmons decay instability. In the relativistic regime the generalized instability is characterized by a wide extent of the unstable region in the wave vector space, with growth rates reaching a fraction of the laser frequency, and a strong harmonic generation. One-dimensional and two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations confirm these results. In particular a systematic study of the propagation of very intense laser pulses through slabs of plasma of several tens of microns are presented. The instability leads to a rapid longitudinal and transverse electron heating, and to filamentary structures which progressively merge in a nonlinear stage. The heating results in highly energetic electrons with energy of several tens of MeV. Correlatively, a strong attenuation rate of the electromagnetic wave is observed.

• OSTI ID: 21185585
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 426, Issue 1; Conference: International conference on superstrong fields in plasmas, Varenna (Italy), 27 Aug - 2 Sep 1997; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.55241; (c) 1998 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
BEAM-PLASMA SYSTEMS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DECAY INSTABILITY
DISPERSION RELATIONS
HARMONIC GENERATION
LASER RADIATION
LASERS
MEV RANGE
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
ONE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
PARAMETRIC INSTABILITIES
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA HEATING
PLASMA SIMULATION
PLASMONS
RAMAN EFFECT
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
TAIL ELECTRONS
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS