Fast heating of electrons by electromagnetic radiation

In experiments on the interaction between intense high-frequency radiation in the critical density region, a state often appears in which the electron temperature is nonuniform and strongly exceeds the ion temperature. The state in usstable with respect to the ion-acoustic instability produced by the electron heat flux. The resulting ion-acoustic turbulence leads to qualitative changes in the effective electron scattering frequency, this being manifest in a number of physical effects. The results of a self-consistent theory of the electron distribution and ion-acoustic turbulence in the region of rapid variation of the electromagnetic field, effective temperature and electron density are presented. An appreciable dependence of the heating rate on the polarization of the radiation with respect to the direction of the heat flux is observed. The anomalous electron heat flux describibg the electron cooling is found