Published September 9, 1991 | Version v1
Journal article

Stimulated Compton scattering from preformed underdense plasmas

  • 1. Electrical Engineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, California (USA)

Description

The electron-density fluctuation spectra induced by stimulated Compton scattering (SCS) are directly observed for the first time. A CO2 laser is focused into plasmas with densities ne spanning (0.4--6)x1016 cm-3. The fluctuations corresponding to backscatter are probed using Thomson scattering. At low ne, the scattered spectrum peaks at a frequency shift Δω=kve and appears to be in a linear convectively saturated regime. At the highest ne, a nonlinear saturation of the SCS instability is observed possibly due to a self-induced perturbation of the electron distribution function

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Physical Review Letters
Journal Volume
67
Journal Issue
11
Series
Phys. Rev. Lett.
Journal Page Range
1434-1437
ISSN
0031-9007
CODEN
PRLTA