THE PRESENT STATE OF PHYSICAL RESEARCH ON THE INTERACTION OF POWERFUL LASER-RADIATION WITH HIGH-TEMPERATURE PLASMAS

The modern state of research on the interaction of the powerful laser radiation with plasmas has been described in context of the laser fusion. The processes under consideration are the absorption and scattering of the laser radiation in plasmas and the heat transport from the absorption region to more dense plasma layers. It is shown that the parametric processes of anomalous (non-classical) absorption and a scattering of the laser radiation in plasmas do not restrict the access to a high compression ratio for thermonuclear targets at the laser energy level about kilojoules or tens of kilojoules. The main problems are indicated that should be investigated for an adequate carrying out the modern results to the megajoule level of energies, that are necessary for the laser fusion breakeven.