SPATIOTEMPORAL INTERMITTENCY AND CHAOS IN STIMULATED RAMAN BACKSCATTERING

Spatiotemporal dynamics of stimulated Raman backscattering in a finite , weakly dissipative plasma, with non-linear phase detuning taken into account, is examined numerically. The non-linear model of a three-wav e interaction, involving quadratic coupling of slowly varying complex amplitudes of the laser pump, the backscattering and the electron plas ma waves, exhibits spatiotemporal intermittency and chaos following a quasi-periodic scenario. Qualitative analysis of spatiotemporal patter ns reveals increasing complexity both for the backscattered and the el ectron plasma wave as the relative pump strength increases. The transi tion from spatiotemporal intermittency to chaos is identified using me thods from the theory of critical phenomena.