Resonant stimulated Brillouin interaction of opposed laser beams in a drifting plasma

摘要

Particle simulations and solutions of coupled mode equations are used to analyze the energy transfer between two equal-frequency, opposed laser beams resonantly interacting with ion acoustic waves in a plasma drifting at the sound speed. The simulations and analysis illustrate the dependence of the energy transfer and the ion wave dynamics on laser intensities and detuning, and the time dependence of the phenomena. The simulation results are in qualitative agreement with experimental observations in the NOVA laser facility [E. M. Campbell et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 57, 2101 (1986)] at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This work is part of a continuing examination of possible resonant crossed-beam interactions in flowing plasmas and their potential effects on the fusion performance of current and future laser-fusion experiments with multiple crossing beams, e.g., proposed experiments in the National Ignition Facility [National Tech. Info. Service Document Nos. DE95017671-DE95017673 and DE95017676-DE95017700 (J. A. Paisner, E. M. Campbell, and W. J. Hogan, The Natl. Ignition Facility Project, UCRL-JC-117397 and UCRL-PROP-117093, May, 1994)]. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S1070-664X(98)01509-2] [References: 24]