Enhanced laser beam coupling to a plasma

Patent · 01 January 1976

OSTI ID:862720

Steiger, Arno D ^[1]; Woods, Cornelius H ^[2]

---

1. Pleasanton, CA
2. Livermore, CA

Density perturbations are induced in a heated plasma by means of a pair of oppositely directed, polarized laser beams of the same frequency. The wavelength of the density perturbations is equal to one half the wavelength of the laser beams. A third laser beam is linearly polarized and directed at the perturbed plasma along a line that is perpendicular to the direction of the two opposed beams. The electric field of the third beam is oriented to lie in the plane containing the three beams. The frequency of the third beam is chosen to cause it to interact resonantly with the plasma density perturbations, thereby efficiently coupling the energy of the third beam to the plasma.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States Energy (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 3995136
• OSTI ID: 862720
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/219/376/
beam
beam coupling
beams
chosen
containing
coupling
density
density perturbations
directed
direction
efficiently
electric
electric field
energy
enhanced
enhanced laser
equal
field
frequency
half
heated
induced
interact
laser
laser beam
laser beams
lie
line
linearly
linearly polarized
means
opposed
oppositely
oppositely directed
oriented
pair
perpendicular
perturbations
perturbed
plane
plasma
plasma density
polarized
polarized laser
resonantly
third
wavelength