LASER-BEAM FILAMENTATION IN A PLASMA WITH A STEEP DENSITY PROFILE

A numerical analysis is presented of the electrostrictive filamentation of an electromagnetic wave in the presence of a reflected wave. Maxwell’s equations are solved in the steady-state simultaneously with one fluid hydrodynamics and a simplified equation of state to obtain a self-consistent solution. The threshold for filamentation is shown to be often below the laser intensity necessary to modify the plasma density profile, however, even weak profile modification substantially affects the filamentation. © 1990, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.