Ponderomotive perturbations of low density low-temperature plasma under laser Thomson scattering diagnostics

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how ponderomotive forces from laser radiation perturb low-density, low-temperature plasmas, potentially causing significant errors in electron density measurements via Thomson scattering.

Contribution

It provides estimates of ponderomotive perturbation magnitudes based on plasma and laser parameters, highlighting their impact on diagnostic accuracy.

Findings

Ponderomotive forces can significantly distort Thomson scattering measurements.

Perturbation magnitude depends on laser intensity, wavelength, and plasma parameters.

Large errors in electron density estimation are possible due to these perturbations.

Abstract

The ponderomotive perturbation in the interaction region of laser radiation with a low density and low-temperature plasma is considered. Estimates of the perturbation magnitude are determined from the plasma parameters, geometry, intensity and wavelength of laser radiation. It is shown that ponderomotive perturbations can lead to large errors in the electron density when measured using Thomson scattering.