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.

*Supported by the DOE, NNSA under Award Number DE-NA0003842.

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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