SUPPRESSION OF ELECTRON PONDEROMOTIVE BLOWOUT AND RELATIVISTIC SELF-FOCUSING BY THE OCCURRENCE OF RAMAN-SCATTERING AND PLASMA-HEATING

We use a fully explicit particle-in-cell model to demonstrate that ele ctron blowout/cavitation and relativistic self-focusing can be prevent ed by the occurrence of stimulated Raman scattering and plasma heating . The suppression results predominantly from the scattering of laser p ower out of the focal cone and from the decrease in the plasma fluid's quiver velocity when the plasma is heated to multi-MeV temperatures.