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The auto-resonant behavior of ion acoustic waves (IAWs) driven by stimulated Brillouin backscattering in supersonic flowing plasmas is self-consistently investigated by Vlasov simulations. Vlasov simulations show that the peak amplitude of the auto-resonant growing IAWs in the positive flow gradient is much larger than that in the negative flow gradient, which is contrary to the previous analysis (Wang et al 2018 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion60 025016). It is found that the IAW phase velocity remains unchanged in supersonic flowing plasmas, which significantly influences wave-particle interaction by changing the Landau damping and the coefficient of the kinetic nonlinear frequency shift in different position. As a result, the Landau damping of IAWs in the peak region in the negative case is stronger than that in the positive case, which has never been considered before. After considering its effects on particle trapping and, particularly, Landau damping of IAWs, theoretical predictions from three-wave mode equations are consistent with results by Vlasov simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the effect of Faraday rotation on stimulated Raman scattering (SRS). When light propagates along the magnetic field upon plasma, Faraday rotation occurs. The rotation angle can be expressed as approximately, where θ is the rotation angle and s is distance, ne is the electron density, nc is the critical density and B is magnetic field in unit of Gauss. Both the incident light and Raman light have Faraday effects. The angle between the polarization directions of incident light and Raman light changes with position. The driven force of electron plasma wave also reduces, and then SRS scattering level is reduced. Faraday rotation effect can increase the laser intensity threshold of Raman scattering, even if the magnetic field strength is small. The circularly polarized light incident case is also compared with that of the linearly polarized light incident. The Raman scattering level of linearly polarized light is much smaller than that of circularly polarized light in the magnetized plasma. The difference between linearly and circularly polarized lights is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the kinetic nonlinear frequency shift (KNFS) on backward stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in homogeneous plasmas and inhomogeneous flowing plasmas is investigated by three-wave coupled-mode equations. When the positive contribution to the KNFS from electrons as well as the negative contribution from ions is included, the net KNFS can become positive at a large electron-ion temperature ratio . In homogeneous plasmas, KNFS can greatly reduce the SBS reflectivity at low or large but has a weak effect on SBS at where the positive frequency shifts from electrons almost cancels out the negative shifts from ions. In inhomogeneous plasmas, the net negative frequency shift can enhance the backward SBS reflectivity for the negative gradient of the plasma flowing, and can suppress the reflectivity for the positive case. On the contrary, the net positive frequency can suppress the reflectivity for the negative case of the flowing gradient and enhance the reflectivity for the positive case. This indicates that the SBS in inhomogeneous flowing plasmas can be controlled by changing the sign of the nonlinear frequency shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimulated Raman sidescattering (SRSS) in inhomogeneous plasma is comprehensively revisited on both theoretical and numerical aspects due to the increasing concern of its detriments to inertial confinement fusion. Firstly, two linear mechanisms of finite beam width and collisional effects that could suppress SRSS are investigated theoretically. Thresholds for the eigenmode and wave packet in a finite-width beam are derived as a supplement to the theory proposed by Mostrom and Kaufman (1979 Phys. Rev. Lett.42 644). Collisional absorption of SRSS is efficient at high-density plasma and high-Z material, otherwise, it allows emission of sidescattering. Secondly, we have performed the first three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations in the context of SRSS to investigate its linear and nonlinear effects. Simulation results are qualitatively agreed with the linear theory. SRSS with the maximum growth gain is excited at various densities, grows to an amplitude that is comparable with the pump laser, and evolutes to lower densities with a large angle of emergence. Competitions between SRSS and other parametric instabilities such as stimulated Raman backscattering, two-plasmon decay, and stimulated Brillouin scattering are discussed. These interaction processes are determined by gains, occurrence sites, scattering geometries of each instability, and will affect subsequent evolutions. Nonlinear effects of self-focusing and azimuthal magnetic field generation are observed to be accompanied with SRSS. In addition, it is found that SRSS is insensitive to ion motion, collision (low-Z material), and electron temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ion-bulk (IBk) wave, a novel branch with a phase velocity close to the ion’s thermal velocity, discovered by Valentini et al (2011 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion53 105017), is recently considered as an important electrostatic activity in solar wind, and thus of great interest to space physics and also inertial confinement fusion. The harmonic effects on IBk waves has been researched by Vlasov simulation for the first time. The condition of excitation of the large-amplitude IBk waves is given. The nature of nonlinear IBk waves in the condition of (klor is the wave number at loss-of-resonance point) is undamped Bernstein–Greene–Kruskal-like waves with harmonic superposition. Only when the wave number k of IBk waves satisfies , can a large-amplitude and mono-frequency IBk wave be excited. A novel stimulated scattering from IBk modes called stimulated ion-bulk-wave scattering (SIBS) or stimulated Feng scattering (SFS) has been proposed and also verified by Vlasov–Maxwell code. In CH plasmas, in addition to the stimulated Brillouin scattering from multi ion-acoustic waves, there exists SIBS simultaneously. This research gives an insight into the SIBS in the field of laser plasma interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-stage electron acceleration/heating model (Wu et al 2017 Nucl. Fusion57 016007 and Wu et al 2016 Phys. Plasmas23 123116) is extended to the study of laser magnetized-plasmas interactions at relativistic intensities and in the presence of large-scale preformed plasmas. It is shown that the electron-heating efficiency is a controllable value by the external magnetic fields. Detailed studies indicate that for a right-hand circularly polarized laser, the electron heating efficiency depends on both strength and directions of external magnetic fields. The electron-heating is dramatically enhanced when the external magnetic field is of . When magnetic field is of negative direction, i.e. , it trends to suppress the electron heating. The underlining physics—the dependences of electron-heating on both the strength and directions of the external magnetic fields—is uncovered. With , the electron-heating is explained by the synergetic effects by longitudinal charge separation electric field and the reflected ‘envelop-modulated’ CP laser. It is indicated that the ‘modulation depth’ of reflected CP laser is significantly determined by the external magnetic fields, which will in turn influence the efficiency of the electron-heating. While with , a laser front sharpening mechanism is identified at relativistic laser magnetized-plasmas interactions, which is responsible for the dramatical enhancement of electron-heating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]