Off-axial contribution of beam self-focusing in plasma with density ripple

Off-axial contribution of beam self-focusing in plasma with density ripple is investigated. Apply paraxial ray theory and Wentzel-Krammers-Brillouin approximation, the results shown that, in interaction of laser and plasma with density ripple, beam self-focusing presents some interesting diverse features when off-axial contribution is obvious. In the paper, we find, on the one hand, density ripple can minimize the defocusing and beam still retains a localized profile with an oscillatory self-focusing and defocusing, on the other hand, with the increase of off-axial contribution, laser beams presents four various self-focusing features, which laser beam intensity profile splits into three-splitted with central axial convex profile, three-splitted with equal amplitude profile, three-splitted with central axial concave profile and two-splitted intensity profile. (C) 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.