Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T00:37:49.589Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Relativistic cross-focusing of two coaxial Gaussian laser beams in a plasma

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 November 1998

RAJ KUMAR
Affiliation:
Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi 110016, India
H. D. PANDEY
Affiliation:
Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi 110016, India
R. P. SHARMA
Affiliation:
Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi 110016, India
M. KUMAR
Affiliation:
Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi 110016, India

Abstract

The paper presents a paraxial theory of the relativistic cross-focusing of two coaxial Gaussian laser beams of different frequencies in a homogeneous plasma. We discuss the self-focusing of a weaker laser beam in the plasma due to the optical inhomogeneities introduced by another stronger copropagating laser beam. In the presence of the second stronger beam (Pcr21<P2<Pcr22), the plasma behaves as an oscillatory waveguide for the first, weaker, beam (P1<Pcr11) as it propagates in the plasma. When both the beams are strong (Pcr11,21<P1,2<Pcr12,22), the nonlinearities introduced by the relativistic effect are additive in nature, such that one beam can undergo oscillatory self-focusing and the other simultaneously defocusing, and vice versa. A comparison reveals that cross-focusing due to relativistic nonlinearity is possible for a wider range of powers of the laser pulses than is cross-focusing due to ponderomotive nonlinearity. Relativistic cross-focusing is important in plasma beat-wave excitation and collective laser particle accelerators.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
1998 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)