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Interaction of high power laser beam with magnetized plasma and THz generation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2010

R.P. Sharma ,
A. Monika ,
P. Sharma ,
P. Chauhan  and
A. Ji
R.P. Sharma*
Affiliation:
Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
A. Monika
Affiliation:
Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
P. Sharma
Affiliation:
Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
P. Chauhan
Affiliation:
Grupo de Laser e Plasmas, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Av. Rovisco Pais, Lisbon, Portugal
A. Ji
Affiliation:
Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: R.P. Sharma, Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

This paper presents an investigation of the excitation of a Tera hertz (THz) radiation by nonlinear interaction of a circularly polarized high power laser beam and density ripple in collisionless magneto plasma. The ponderomotive force due to the nonlinear interaction between the laser and density ripple generates a nonlinear current at a difference frequency. If the appropriate phase matching conditions are satisfied and the frequency of the ripple is appropriate, then this difference frequency can be brought in the THz range. Filamentation (self focusing) of a circularly polarized beam propagating along the direction of ambient magnetic field in plasma is first investigated within paraxial ray approximation. The beam gets focused when the initial power of the laser beam is greater than its critical power. Resulting localized beam couples with the pre-existing density ripple to produce a nonlinear current driving the THz radiation. Analytical expressions for the beam width of the laser beam, electric vector of the THz wave have been obtained. By changing the strength of the magnetic field, one can enhance or suppress the THz emission. For typical laser beam and plasma parameters with the incident laser power flux = 1014 W/cm2, laser beam radius (r0) = 40 µm, laser frequency (ω0) = 1014 rad/s and plasma density (n0) = 3 × 1018 cm−3, normalized ripple density amplitude (μ) = 0.3, the produced THz emission can be at the level of Giga watt in power.

Keywords

Electron plasma waveFilamentationPonderomotive nonlinearityTHz radiation
Type
Research Article
Information
Laser and Particle Beams , Volume 28 , Issue 4 , December 2010 , pp. 531 - 537
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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