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Title: Self-focusing and stimulated Brillouin back-scattering of a long intense laser pulse in a finite temperature relativistic plasma

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4858896· OSTI ID:22218327
;  [1];  [2]
  1. Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., Evin, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)
  2. Faculty of Physics, Shahrood University, Shahrood (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

The nonlinear dynamics of electromagnetic waves propagating through a plasma considering the effects of relativistic mass and ponderomotive nonlinearities is investigated. The modified electron density distribution, the dispersion relation, and the spatial profiles of electromagnetic wave amplitude in the plasma are obtained. It is shown that the cut-off frequency decreases, and there is an intensity range in which the ponderomotive self-focusing takes place. In the upper limit of this range, the laser beam is defocused due to the relativistic ponderomotive force. In addition, the stability of electromagnetic waves to stimulated Brillouin scattering is studied, and the backscattered wave resulting from decay of high power electromagnetic beam is resolved in relativistic regime. The study of effects of electron density and temperature on the growth rate of backscattered wave has been shown that by increasing these effects, the growth rate of instability increases.

OSTI ID:
22218327
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 20, Issue 12; Other Information: (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English