Effect of Ion-Wave Damping on Stimulated Raman Scattering in High-ZLaser-Produced Plasmas

Abstract
The dependence of the magnitude of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) on ion-wave damping has been demonstrated in a high- Z plasma. The ion-wave damping is varied in a well characterized Xe plasma by varying the concentration of a C5 H12 impurity. The reflectivity of SRS is observed to increase with the concentration of the dopant, demonstrating the effect of ion-wave damping on SRS. The measurements are consistent with models in which the amplitude of the SRS-driven Langmuir waves are limited by a secondary decay into ion-acoustic waves.