Nonlinear interaction of an intense laser beam with an electron plasma wave: generation of ion-acoustic wave

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Abstract
Presents an investigation of the nonlinear interaction of a high power Gaussian laser beam with the excited (by the laser) electron plasma wave in a hot collisionless unmagnetised plasma. On account of the interaction between the two waves the ponderomotive force at the difference frequency becomes finite and may lead to the generation of another electrostatic wave in the plasma. It has beem shown that, when the frequency of the laser beam is in the vicinity of the electron plasma frequency, the generated electrostatic wave is a low frequency ion wave. For a typical laser plasma and CO2 laser the maximum power associated with the ion wave is found to be approximately 70 ergs s-1.