Nonlinear saturation of stimulated Raman scattering in a homogeneous plasma

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Abstract
Nonlinear saturation of the stimulated Raman scattering instability is considered in an infinite homogeneous plasma. The ‘‘incident’’ wave amplitude exceeds its threshold value by the fractional amount Δ(≪1). A single backscattered electromagnetic wave and a single plasma wave grow until time‐asymptotic saturation occurs. The squared amplitude and nonlinear frequency shift of each wave are determined by secular‐free perturbation theory and are proportional to Δ. The saturation mechanism is identified and the ‘‘reflection coefficient’’ determined. Both saturation amplitudes are shown to be stable to small deviations from their time‐asymptotic values.