Nonlinear collisional absorption of laser light in dense, strongly coupled plasmas

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new theoretical model for laser energy absorption in dense, strongly coupled plasmas, effectively incorporating strong correlations and aligning well with molecular dynamics simulations.

Contribution

It presents a novel theoretical approach linking inverse Bremstrahlung absorption with stopping power, extending analysis beyond mean field approximations.

Findings

Excellent agreement with molecular dynamics simulations at high coupling strengths

Effective inclusion of strong correlations beyond mean field

Applicable to arbitrary laser frequencies and intensities

Abstract

We present a new theoretical approach for collisional absorption of laser energy in dense plasmas which accommodates arbitrary frequencies and high intensities of the laser field. We establish a connection between laser absorption by inverse Bremstrahlung and the stopping power. This relation is then applied to include strong correlations beyond the mean field approach. The results show an excellent agreement with molecular dynamics simulations up to very high coupling strength.