Laser beat-wave accelerator and plasma noise

Journal Article · Sat Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985 · Phys. Rev. A; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.31.3937· OSTI ID:5594347

Horton, W; Tajima, T

Plasma noise effects on the beat-wave resonance condition and the subsequent reduction of the accelerating electric field for the laser beat-wave accelerator are investigated. Plasma noise or turbulence causes the accelerating electric field to saturate at a reduced level epsilon = L/sub eff//L of the ideal coherent accelerating field, where L/sub eff/ is the effective growth length for the plasma wave and L is the ideal growth length. When the noise parameter sigma = <(deltan)/sup 2/>/n/sup 2/ is above a threshold value, we find L/sub eff/approx. =2c/..omega../sub p//sup 2/tau/sub c/sigma, where tau/sub c/ is the correlation time of the noise spectrum along ..omega.. = kv/sub p/. Slower noise is less effective in limiting the plasma wave growth. For strong noise L/sub eff/ becomes shortened to the correlation length in the noise L/sub c/ = v/sub p/tau/sub c/. In the case of slowly increasing mismatch in the beat-wave resonance condition, the effective growth length L/sub eff/ becomes the geometric mean of the density gradient scale length L/sub n/ and the collisionless skin depth (L/sub n/c/..omega../sub p/)/sup 1/2/. .AE

• Research Organization: Department of Physics and Institute for Fusion Studies, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712
• OSTI ID: 5594347
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. A; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. A; (United States) Vol. 31:6; ISSN PLRAA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700108* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Wave Phenomena
ACCELERATION
ACCELERATORS
BEAM-PLASMA SYSTEMS
CHARGED PARTICLES
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
ENERGY LOSSES
FREQUENCY ANALYSIS
INCOHERENT SCATTERING
LASERS
LOSSES
NOISE
PLASMA WAVES
SCATTERING