Ca. Coverdale et al., PROPERTIES OF THE SPECTRA OF RELATIVISTICALLY STRONG LASER-PULSES IN AN UNDERDENSE PLASMA, Plasma physics reports, 22(8), 1996, pp. 617-624
An experimental study and a particle-in-cell (PIG) simulation of the p
lasma-wave breaking and stimulated backward Raman scattering (SBRS) in
the interaction of sub-picosecond laser pulses with an underdense pla
sma are carried out. The results of the experiment show that the spect
rum of backscattered radiation is strongly modulated; the structure of
modulations depends on the plasma density and the laser pulse intensi
ty and exhibits pronounced symmetry. It is found that the SBRS saturat
es at the same pulse intensity at which the modulations of the SBRS sp
ectrum appear. A one-dimensional PIC simulation also demonstrates the
spectral modulation of scattered radiation as well as the appearance o
f modulations in the transmitted radiation spectrum during the pulse p
ropagation.