Generation of stimulated backscattered harmonic radiation from intense laser interactions with beams and plasmas. Interim report

Technical Report · Mon Apr 06 04:00:00 EDT 1992

OSTI ID:5222881

Esarey, E; Sprangle, P

A comprehensive analysis is presented which describes the generation of harmonic radiation by the stimulated backscattering of intense laser fields from electron beams and from plasmas. The dynamics of the intense laser-electron interaction are analyzed using a fully nonlinear, relativistic cold fluid model valid to all orders in the amplitude of the pump laser. In general. the back-scattered radiation, from an electron beam or stationary plasma, occurs at odd harmonics of the doppler shifted incident laser frequency. The strength of the harmonics is strongly dependent on the incident laser intensity. The growth rate and saturation level of the backscattered harmonics are calculated and limitations due to thermal, space charge and collisional effects are discussed. Significant radiation generation at high harmonics requires sufficiently intense pump laser fields and sufficiently cold axial electron distributions. This mechanism may provide a practical method for producing coherent radiation in the XUV regime.

• Research Organization: Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (United States)
• OSTI ID: 5222881
• Report Number(s): AD-A-248782/5/XAB; NRL/MR--4440-92-6786
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
426002* -- Engineering-- Lasers & Masers-- (1990-)
BACKSCATTERING
BEAM-PLASMA SYSTEMS
BEAMS
COHERENT RADIATION
DYNAMICS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON BEAMS
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
FERMIONS
FREQUENCY MIXING
HARMONIC GENERATION
INTERACTIONS
LASER RADIATION
LASER-PRODUCED PLASMA
LEPTON BEAMS
LEPTONS
MECHANICS
PARTICLE BEAMS
PLASMA
RADIATIONS
SATURATION
SCATTERING
SPACE CHARGE
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION