Quantum statistical model of nonlinear inverse bremsstrahlung absorption in strongly coupled plasmas

TL;DR

This paper introduces a quantum statistical model for nonlinear inverse bremsstrahlung absorption in dense, strongly coupled plasmas, avoiding ad hoc cutoffs and linking stopping power with laser absorption, validated against classical simulations.

Contribution

It presents a novel quantum statistical approach that accurately models laser absorption in dense plasmas, incorporating strong electron-ion interactions and dynamic responses without arbitrary cutoffs.

Findings

The model remains reliable for strong electron-ion interactions.

It successfully links stopping power calculations to laser absorption.

Validation against classical MD simulations confirms its broad applicability.

Abstract

A new approach for the calculation of collisional inverse bremsstrahlung absorption of laser light in dense plasmas is presented. Quantum statistical formalism used allows avoiding {\em ad hoc} cutoffs that were necessary in classical approaches. Thus, the current method remains reliable for strong electron-ion interactions. In addition, both the dynamic, field dependent response and hard electron-ion collisions, are consistently incorporated. The latter were treated in an average manner as a stopping power that in turn was cast into a form of a friction force. Here, for the first time a link between the stopping power and the problem of collisional laser absorption is drawn. This allows the theories developed for the stopping power calculation, such as the quantum T-matrix approach, to be applied to the problem of collisional laser absorption. The new approach accommodates the low- and high-frequency limits explained in the text and is valid for arbitrary laser field intensities. A comparison with classical MD simulation is indicative of the validity of the new method in the wide parameter range tested.