Measurable signatures of relativistic self-focusing in underdense plasmas

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Abstract
The propagation of intense, picosecond laser pulses in tenuous plasmas is studied for conditions close to those required for relativistic self‐focusing. Solutions of the steady‐state wave‐envelope equations are used to obtain experimentally measurable quantities such as the Thomson‐scattered light at 90°, and the far‐field radiation pattern. It is demonstrated that in the presence of electron cavitation, the Thomson signal has a longitudinal structure which is generally the converse of the intensity pattern. Furthermore, beam collimation in the far‐field depends on where the laser is focused in the plasma, and may actually be degraded if self‐channeling occurs.