Particle-In-Cell observations of Brillouin scattering for laser interacting with magnetized overdense plasma

TL;DR

This study uses Particle-in-Cell simulations to investigate Brillouin scattering phenomena when a laser interacts with a magnetized overdense plasma, revealing parametric processes involving electromagnetic and electrostatic waves.

Contribution

It demonstrates the occurrence of Brillouin back scattering in magnetized overdense plasma for various laser polarizations using detailed PIC simulations.

Findings

Brillouin back scattering occurs for all laser polarizations.

Parametric processes involve scattered electromagnetic and electrostatic waves.

External magnetic field influences the pass band of wave propagation.

Abstract

One dimensional Particle-in-cell simulations using OSIRIS-4.0 has been conducted to study the interaction of a laser electromagnetic pulse with an overdense magnetized plasma target. The external magnetic field has been chosen to be directed along the laser propagation direction. This geometry supports the propagation of right (R) and left (L) circularly polarised electromagnetic waves in the plasma. The laser pulse is allowed to propagate inside the plasma when its frequency falls in the pass band of the dispersion curves of L and/or R waves. The strength of the applied external magnetic field is chosen as a parameter to ensure that the laser frequency lies in the appropriate pass band. It is demonstrated that for all possible polarization of the incident laser, parametric process involving a scattered Electromagnetic wave and an electrostatic mode occur. The parametric process has been identified as that due to the Brillouin back scattering process.