Scattering of ultrashort laser pulses in Maxwellian plasmas: Transition scattering

In this paper, we presented a model, describing transition scattering of ultrashort laser pulses (USLPs) in Maxwellian plasmas in terms of the full spectral-angular probability during the entire time of pulse action. We demonstrated that in the case of the USLP, probability dependence on pulse duration (t-dependence) generally is a non-monotonic function. The main trends of the t-dependence were defined. For quasi-elastic transition scattering, we derived analytical formulas of the full spectral-angular probability that describes non-monotonic areas of the t-dependence with high accuracy. In the framework of the analytical approach, we established conditions, at which non-monotonic trends are realized, and assessed dynamics of local extremes at the variation of problem parameters. We compared t-dependence, angular dependence of transition, and Thomson scattering probability and assessed limits of analytical approximations. The crucial similarities and differences of these two types of scattering were described. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing