Nanosecond laser pulse propagation and the generation of laser plasma instabilities in a magnetized, under-dense plasma

ORAL

Abstract

Laser propagation in an under-dense plasma, and the instabilities generated during its transit are of fundamental interest for inertial confinement fusion. We present an experimental study of the influence that an external magnetic field (B) up to 20 T has on the propagation of a nanosecond, 9x10$^{\mathrm{14\thinspace }}$Wcm$^{\mathrm{-2}}$ intensity laser in a pre-formed plasma. The temporally-resolved transmitted light profile indicates more light transmission in the magnetized case, with a larger transmitted beam. Measurements of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), both in the backward direction, are also presented. As a function of B, an increase of SRS is detected while no change is detected for SBS. Rad-hydro and particle-in-cell simulations are employed to elucidate the dynamics resulting in this behavior.

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Authors

  • A. Higginson

    UCSD

  • J.-R. Marques

    LULI-CNRS

  • J. Beard

    LNCMI

  • P. Loiseau

    CEA-DAM

  • A. Soloviev

    IAP-RAS

  • A. Castan

    CEA-DAM/LULI-CNRS

  • B. Coleman

    QUB

  • M. Borghesi

    QUB

  • T. Gangolf

    LULI-CNRS

  • L. Lancia

    LULI-CNRS

  • M. Starodubtsev

    IAP-RAS

  • S.J. Spencer

    Univ. Warw.

  • S. Zhang

    UCSD

  • Christopher McGuffey

    UCSD CER, UCSD, UCSSD, CER, UCSD, USA, University of California, San Diego

  • Mathieu Bailly-Grandvaux

    UCSD CER, UCSD, CER, UCSD, USA, University of California, San Diego

  • Joseph Strehlow

    UCSD, University of California, San Diego

  • B. J. Winjum

    UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles

  • R. Lee

    UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Frank Tsung

    University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA

  • Mario Manuel

    General Atomics-San Diego, General Atomics

  • Warren Mori

    University of California, Los Angeles, University of California Los Angeles, Departments of Physics and Astronomy & Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA

  • F. N. Beg

    University of California San Diego, University of California, San Diego, UCSD, CER, UCSD, USA

  • J. Fuchs

    LULI-CNRS