PROPAGATION AND STABILITY OF INTENSE LASER-PULSES IN PARTIALLY STRIPPED PLASMAS

The propagation and stability of intense laser pulses in a partially s tripped plasma, i.e., in the presence of free and bound electrons, is analyzed. The presence of bound electrons is shown to significantly al ter the propagation and stability of intense laser pulses. The bound e lectrons are represented by a linear and nonlinear susceptibility, whi le the free electrons, which can support plasma waves, are treated non linearly. In the presence of both free and bound electrons, an atomic modulation instability develops that can have a growth rate substantia lly higher than either the conventional relativistic modulational inst ability or the forward Raman instability. Bound electrons can also gre atly enhance the filamentation instability. The backward Raman instabi lity, however, is unaffected by bound electrons.