Wigner-Moyal description of free variable mass Klein-Gordon fields

A system of coupled kinetic transport equations for the Wigner distributions of a free variable mass Klein-Gordon field is derived. This set of equations is formally equivalent to the full wave equation for electromagnetic waves in nonlinear dispersive media, thus allowing for the description of broadband radiation-matter interactions and the associated instabilities. The standard results for the classical wave action are recovered in the short wavelength limit of the generalized Wigner-Moyal formalism for the wave equation.Comment: 9 pages, accepted for publication in Journal of Mathematical Physic

Spin contribution to the ponderomotive force in a plasma

The concept of a ponderomotive force due to the intrinsic spin of electrons is developed. An expression containing both the classical as well as the spin-induced ponderomotive force is derived. The results are used to demonstrate that an electromagnetic pulse can induce a spin-polarized plasma. Furthermore, it is shown that for certain parameters, the nonlinear back-reaction on the electromagnetic pulse from the spin magnetization current can be larger than that from the classical free current. Suitable parameter values for a direct test of this effect are presented.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, version accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter

Kinetic-Ion Simulations Addressing Whether Ion Trapping Inflates Stimulated Brillouin Backscattering Reflectivities

An investigation of the possible inflation of stimulated Brillouin backscattering (SBS) due to ion kinetic effects is presented using electromagnetic particle simulations and integrations of three-wave coupled-mode equations with linear and nonlinear models of the nonlinear ion physics. Electrostatic simulations of linear ion Landau damping in an ion acoustic wave, nonlinear reduction of damping due to ion trapping, and nonlinear frequency shifts due to ion trapping establish a baseline for modeling the electromagnetic SBS simulations. Systematic scans of the laser intensity have been undertaken with both one-dimensional particle simulations and coupled-mode-equations integrations, and two values of the electron-to-ion temperature ratio (to vary the linear ion Landau damping) are considered. Three of the four intensity scans have evidence of SBS inflation as determined by observing more reflectivity in the particle simulations than in the corresponding three-wave mode-coupling integrations with a linear ion-wave model, and the particle simulations show evidence of ion trapping.Comment: 56 pages, 20 figure

Plasma density measurements using chirped pulse broad-band Raman amplification

Stimulated Raman backscattering is used as a non-destructive method to determine the density of plasma media at localized positions in space and time. By colliding two counter-propagating, ultra-short laser pulses with a spectral bandwidth larger than twice the plasma frequency, amplification occurs at the Stokes wavelengths, which results in regions of gain and loss separated by twice the plasma frequency, from which the plasma density can be deduced. By varying the relative delay between the laser pulses, and therefore the position and timing of the interaction, the spatio-temporal distribution of the plasma density can be mapped out

Kinetic Enhancement of Raman Backscatter, and Electron Acoustic Thomson Scatter

1-D Eulerian Vlasov-Maxwell simulations are presented which show kinetic enhancement of stimulated Raman backscatter (SRBS) due to electron trapping in regimes of heavy linear Landau damping. The conventional Raman Langmuir wave is transformed into a set of beam acoustic modes [L. Yin et al., Phys. Rev. E 73, 025401 (2006)]. For the first time, a low phase velocity electron acoustic wave (EAW) is seen developing from the self-consistent Raman physics. Backscatter of the pump laser off the EAW fluctuations is reported and referred to as electron acoustic Thomson scatter. This light is similar in wavelength to, although much lower in amplitude than, the reflected light between the pump and SRBS wavelengths observed in single hot spot experiments, and previously interpreted as stimulated electron acoustic scatter [D. S. Montgomery et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 155001 (2001)]. The EAW is strongest well below the phase-matched frequency for electron acoustic scatter, and therefore the EAW is not produced by it. The beating of different beam acoustic modes is proposed as the EAW excitation mechanism, and is called beam acoustic decay. Supporting evidence for this process, including bispectral analysis, is presented. The linear electrostatic modes, found by projecting the numerical distribution function onto a Gauss-Hermite basis, include beam acoustic modes (some of which are unstable even without parametric coupling to light waves) and a strongly-damped EAW similar to the observed one. This linear EAW results from non-Maxwellian features in the electron distribution, rather than nonlinearity due to electron trapping.Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures, accepted in Physics of Plasmas (2006

Energy exchange during stimulated Raman scattering of a relativistic laser in a plasma

Energy exchange between pump and daughter waves during the stimulated Raman scattering process in a plasma is investigated, including the effect of a damping coefficient of electron-ion collision at different initial three-wave phases. To obey the energy and momentum conservations, the resonance conditions are satisfied at an optimal initial phase difference between the interacting waves. The amplitudes of the interacting waves exhibit behaviors such as a parametric oscillator. The variations in initial three-wave phase difference generate a phase mismatch, which enhances the rate of the amplitude variations of the interacting waves. The relativistic mass effect modifies the dispersion relations of the interacting waves, and consequently the energy exchange during the stimulated Raman scattering is affected. The collisional damping in the plasma is shown to have an important effect on the evolution of the interacting waves.open91

Mapping giant magnetic fields around dense solid plasmas by high resolution magneto-optical microscopy

We investigate distribution of magnetic fields around dense solid plasmas generated by intense p-polarized laser (~10^{16} W.cm^{-2}, 100 fs) irradiation of magnetic tapes, using high sensitivity magneto optical microscopy. We present evidence for giant axial magnetic fields and map out for the first time the spatial distribution of these fields. By using the axial magnetic field distribution as a diagnostic tool we uncover evidence for angular momentum associated with the plasma. We believe this study holds significance for investigating the process under which a magnetic material magnetizes or demagnetizes under the influence of ultrashort intense laser pulses.Comment: 17 pages of text with 4 figure

Absorption of Ultrashort Laser Pulses in Strongly Overdense Targets

We report on the first absorption experiments of sub-10 fs high-contrast Ti:Sa laser pulses incident on solid targets. The very good contrast of the laser pulse assures the formation of a very small pre-plasma and the pulse interacts with the matter close to solid density. Experimental results indicate that p-polarized laser pulses are absorbed up to 80 percent at 80 degrees incidence angle. The simulation results of PSC PIC code clearly confirm the observations and show that the collisionless absorption works efficiently in steep density profiles

Interaction of intense vuv radiation with large xenon clusters

The interaction of atomic clusters with short, intense pulses of laser light to form extremely hot, dense plasmas has attracted extensive experimental and theoretical interest. The high density of atoms within the cluster greatly enhances the atom--laser interaction, while the finite size of the cluster prevents energy from escaping the interaction region. Recent technological advances have allowed experiments to probe the laser--cluster interaction at very high photon energies, with interactions much stronger than suggested by theories for lower photon energies. We present a model of the laser--cluster interaction which uses non-perturbative R-matrix techniques to calculate inverse bremsstrahlung and photoionization cross sections for Herman-Skillman atomic potentials. We describe the evolution of the cluster under the influence of the processes of inverse bremsstrahlung heating, photoionization, collisional ionization and recombination, and expansion of the cluster. We compare charge state distribution, charge state ejection energies, and total energy absorbed with the Hamburg experiment of Wabnitz {\em et al.} [Nature {\bf 420}, 482 (2002)] and ejected electron spectra with Laarmann {\em et al.} [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 95}, 063402 (2005)]