Stimulated Raman scattering by circularly polarized quadruple Gaussian laser beam and co-propagating electron beam in plasma

Abstract

This study investigates the interplay between a co-propagating relativistic electron beam and a quadruple Gaussian laser beam in plasma, focusing on the suppression of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) growth. The presence of the laser beam induces the excitation of a pair of plasma waves and side-scattered electromagnetic waves. As the side-scattered wave and pump wave couple together, they exert a ponderomotive force on the electron beam and plasma electrons, resulting in an enhancement of the plasma wave amplitude. Nonlinear coupling between the density perturbation in the plasma, induced by the plasma wave, and the pump wave leads to the excitation of a nonlinear current responsible for the growth of the side-scattered electromagnetic wave associated with SRS. Furthermore, the growth rate of SRS is shown to be highly sensitive to the phase matching between the relativistic electron beam and the plasma wave. In cases of phase mismatch, the growth rate experiences a significant reduction. Additionally, the effectiveness of the electron beam in driving the stimulated Raman process is greatly affected by the energy spread of the electron beam. A substantial reduction in effectiveness is observed due to this energy spread.