Electron parametric instabilities of ultraintense laser pulses propagating in plasmas of arbitrary density

Abstract

The dispersion relation for electron parametric instabilities of a circularly polarized laser wave of arbitrary intensity is established without restrictions on the plasma density. It is obtained in an implicit analytical form and solved numerically. The well-known stimulated Raman scattering, relativistic modulational instability, relativistic filamentation instability, and two-plasmon decay are recovered at low intensity. Their behavior in the ultrarelativistic regime is characterized by a wide extent of the unstable region in the wave vector space, with growth rates equal to a fraction of the laser frequency, and a strong harmonic generation. Particle-in-cell simulations confirm these results and show that the instability leads to a very strong heating of the plasma.

3/2 Harmonic Generation by Femtosecond Laser Pulses on Solid Targets

“…This discrepancy may be connected with high intensity/relativistic effects such as nonlinear saturation of the instability, merging of the TPD and Raman instabilities, etc. [8,9]. …”

Identifying the source of super-high energetic electrons in the presence of pre-plasma in laser–matter interaction at relativistic intensities

“…It was shown that [39][40][41], for a relativistic laser with laser amplitude a > 1 and homogeneous density close to relativistic critical, the nonlinear stage of the instabilities will result in a strong heating of the electron distribution function. The existing analyses are restricted to homogeneous plasmas.…”

Stimulated Raman scattering of laser in a plasma in the presence of a co-propagating electron beam

“…charged particle acceleration, laser induced fusion, instabilities, etc. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Instabilities such as stimulated Raman scattering, stimulated Brillion scattering, two plasmon scattering are underside in the context of inertial confinement fusion as they adversely affect the deposition of energy form the laser to deuterium-tritium target 11,12 because the energy form the laser is used up by the plasma wave generated in these processes rather than heating the target. In stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), the pump electromagnetic wave decays into an electron plasma wave and a sideband electromagnetic wave.…”