Excitation of growing wake waves by an electron bunch in a plasma in an intense pump wave

A study is made of the excitation of wake waves by a one-dimensional electr on bunch in an electron plasma in the presence of an intense monochromatic pump wave with circular polarization. In the main state (in the absence of a bunch), the interaction between a pump wave and a plasma is described by Maxwell's equations and the nonlinear relativistic hydrodynamic equations f or a cold plasma. The excitation of linear waves by a one-dimensional bunch is investigated against a cold plasma background. It is shown that, in a c ertain range of parameter values of the bunch, pump wave, and plasma, the e xcitation is resonant in character and the amplitude of the excited wake wa ves increases with distance from the bunch. (C) 2001 MAIK "Nauka/Interperio dica".