Saturation of Beat-Excited Plasma Waves by Electrostatic Mode Coupling

Authors

• C. Darrow, University of California, Los Angeles
• Donald P. Umstadter, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• T. Katsouleas, University of California, Los Angeles
• W.B. Mori, University of California, Los Angeles
• C.E. Clayton, University of California, Los Angeles
• C. Joshi, University of California, Los Angeles

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

6-16-1986

Comments

Published by American Physical Society. Physical Review Letters 56 2629 (1986). http://prl.aps.org. Copyright © 1986 American Physical Society. Permission to use.

Abstract

The nature of plasma waves which are resonantly excited when two laser beams beat in a rippled-density plasma is explored both theoretically and experimentally. A theoretical model is presented which, for commonly encountered experimental parameters, predicts rapid saturation of the high—phase-velocity beat wave at an amplitude below that expected for relativistic detuning. Results of experimental studies of this process are presented.