The linear regime of the two-plasmon decay instability in inhomogeneous plasmas
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627 (United States)
A linear fluid code solving the equations for the two-plasmon decay (TPD) instability has been developed and used to study the TPD instability. Both absolute and convective modes are observed in the simulations using this code, which show that the absolute modes are located close to the quarter-critical-density surface while the convective modes are located in the lower-density region. The maximum growth rates of the absolute modes measured in the simulations agree well with the theoretical results in the limits of large and small values of the parameter betapropor toT{sub e}{sup 2}/(Ilambda{sup 2}), where T{sub e} is the electron temperature, I is the laser intensity, and lambda is the laser wavelength. The simulation results also agree with the beta-dependent threshold for absolute TPD. A derivation of the convective gain that retains the dependence on electron temperature and perpendicular mode number is presented and it is in good agreement with the simulation results.
- OSTI ID:
- 21371129
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 17, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3414350; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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