On a new scenario for the saturation of the low-threshold two-plasmon parametric decay instability of an extraordinary wave in the inhomogeneous plasma of magnetic traps

The most probable scenario for the saturation of the low-threshold two-plasmon parametric decay instability of an electron cyclotron extraordinary wave has been analyzed. Within this scenario two upperhybrid plasmons at frequencies close to half the pump wave frequency radially trapped in the vicinity of the local maximum of the plasma density profile are excited due to the excitation of primary instability. The primary instability saturation results from the decays of the daughter upper-hybrid waves into secondary upperhybrid waves that are also radially trapped in the vicinity of the local maximum of the plasma density profile and ion Bernstein waves.     

Parametric Mechanism of Anomalous Microwave Power Absorption in Experiments on Electron Cyclotron Heating in Toroidal Magnetic Traps

The nonlinear stage of the parametric decay instability of an extraordinary wave is analyzed in the presence of a nonmonotonic density profile. The decay excites an electron Bernstein wave, which is localized in the vicinity of a local density maximum, and an ion Bernstein wave, which leaves a nonlinear interaction region and is absorbed by ions in the vicinity of the harmonics of the ion cyclotron frequency. The main mechanism of instability saturation is considered to be a cascade of decays of a primary daughter electron Bernstein wave, which leads to the excitation of localized secondary electron Bernstein waves and ion cyclotron (Bernstein) waves. The localization of electron Bernstein waves causes a significant decrease in the secondary- decay excitation threshold, which is thought to provide saturation of the primary instability at the lowest level. The saturation of the primary parametric decay instability of a pump wave and the anomalous absorption of the pump power are analytically estimated. A numerical simulation is performed using the parameters that are typical of the experiments on the electron cyclotron resonance heating of plasma at the second resonance harmonic in TCV tokamak.     

On a Destabilizing Effect of Plasma Inhomogeneity on the Two-Plasmon Decay Instability

It has been shown that plasma inhomogeneity reduces the threshold of the parametric instability of two-plasmon decay and, in particular, allows the excitation of plasmons with the same frequency by a spatially uniform pump field.     

3/2omega0 radiation from the laser-driven two-plasmon decay instability in an inhomogeneous plasma

We present the results of the first reduced model simulations of the nonlinear development of the two-plasmon decay instability in an inhomogeneous plasma, including properties of the 3/2 harmonic emission. A sharp increase in radiation and Langmuir turbulence fluctuation levels occurs above a threshold laser intensity that depends on initial fluctuation levels. We study the competition between the linear propagation of Langmuir waves in the density gradient and the nonlinear saturation due to the Langmuir decay instability. The secondary decay Langmuir waves can provide the dominant source of the radiation and are essential to explain experiments.     

On a new mechanism of excitation of the absolute parametric decay instability of an electromagnetic wave in experiments on electron cyclotron resonance heating in toroidal devices

Experimental conditions under which the low-threshold absolute parametric decay instability of an electromagnetic wave with extraordinary polarization at the electron cyclotron resonance heating of a plasma at the second harmonic resonance in toroidal devices are analyzed. A new mechanism is proposed for the localization of a daughter electrostatic wave in the toroidal direction in the region of a high-power pump beam. This mechanism, along with the two-dimensional localization of the daughter wave because of a nonmonotonic radial profile of the plasma density and the poloidal inhomogeneity of the magnetic field, can be responsible for the parametric excitation of a three-dimensional cavity for this wave and, as a result, low-threshold absolute decay instability of the pump wave.     

Stimulated Brillouin scattering of obliquely propagatingextraordinary electromagnetic waves off ion-Bernstein waves in plasmas

The parametric decay of an obliquely propagating extraordinary electromagnetic wave into another extraordinary electromagnetic wave and a low-frequency electrostatic ion-Berstein wave via the stimulated Brillouin scattering process is considered. Explicit expressions for the growth rate and threshold power for this instability are presented. Applications of the present investigation to fusion plasmas in the end cells of tandem mirrors and the magnetospheric and ionospheric plasmas to explain wave phenomena are pointed out. The dependence of threshold power on the pump wave angle is studied. The general expressions for the growth rate and threshold derived here can also be useful to explain future experimental data     

Excitation of short-wave oscillations in the ionospheric plasma by the field of a high-power radio wave with extraordinary polarization due to induced scattering by ions

We analyze excitation of electron-cyclotron or upper hybrid oscillations of the ionospheric plasma at a frequency that is close to the pump frequency as a result of induced scattering of a high-power radio wave with extraordinary polarization by ions. The excited oscillations have a small wavelength of the order of the Larmor electron radius, which allows them to propagate near and below the reflection level of an extraordinary radio wave. We found the instability increment and threshold field, which results from collisional absorption of plasma waves. It is shown that the threshold field is minimal near the reflection level of an extraordinary radio wave when the radio wave frequency f₀ is between electron harmonics nf_Be with n≥2. In an ionospheric F layer it is of the order of 1 W/m. Such fields are easily obtained in ionospheric heating experiments allowing for radio-wave field swelling in the reflection region. In the vicinity of electron harmonics f_o≅nf_Be, the threshold field is increasing. For f_o<nf_Be with f_o≅nf_Be the instability does not develop because of the absence of plasma oscillations with a frequency that is close to the pump frequency (the latter also refers to the case f_o<2f_Be). The expressions obtained are generalized to the case in which the instability under consideration is excited by the field of an ordinary radio wave in the region of its quasilongitudinal propagation. We discuss the possibility of using the emergence of very short-wave plasma oscillations for explaining the experimentally observed phenomena. Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation, Russian Academy of Sciences, Troitsk, Moscow Region, Russia. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 40, No. 5, pp. 541–560, May, 1997.     

Effect of self-generated magnetic field on the two-plasmon decay instability in a laser-produced plasma

Summary In this paper we have made a theoretical investigation on the two-plasmon decay instability of laser radiation in the presence of the selfgenerated magnetic field at the quarter-critical density region in a laserproduced plasma. The Vlasov equation in terms of guiding centre coordinates has been employed to obtain the nonlinear response of electrons in the plasma. The threshold power density of the incident laser radiation for the two-plasmon decay instability is always exceeded in currently employed power densities in laser-target experiments and above the threshold the growth rate of the instability is quite large. It is also noticed that the selfgenerated magnetic field enhances the threshold to a large extent, thus drastically reducing the growth rate of the instability. To speed up publication, the author of this paper has agreed to not receive the proofs for correction     

Generation of THz Radiation by Laser Plasma Interaction

This paper presents the three wave parametric decay process to generate the Terahertz (THz) radiations in magnetized plasma. The pump wave (Laser beam) is considered in the extraordinary mode (x‐mode), propagating perpendicular to the background magnetic field. This pump wave decays into an upper hybrid wave and a THz wave which is in magnetosonic mode. The appropriate expressions for the coupling coefficients of the threewave interaction and THz wave amplitude have been derived. Subsequently, the growth rate of this decay instability is also calculated. Various laser and plasma parameters were optimized and we report efficiency of the order of ～1.4 × 10^–2 for current scheme. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Half-Integer Harmonics Generation in Laser-Produced Plasma

Half integer (3/2ω₀, 1/2ω₀) harmonics generation under oblique incidence of the pump-wave on the spatially inhomogeneous plasma is theoretically investigated. Harmonics generation is connected with the two-plasmon convective instability excitation near the quarter-critical density. Harmonics spectra and intensities depend essentially on the pump wave polarization. In particular, significant harmonics spectra broadening arises under the p-polarized pump wave.     

Linear and Nonlinear Wavetransformation and Absorption in the Inhomogeneous Plasma Capacitor

The parametric decay process in inhomogeneous layers existing near the plasma boundaries or in front of antennas and probes in a plasma has been investigated. The linear enhancement of the pump field near ω = ω_p, the threshold fieldstrength, the wavenumber selection rules and the influence of spontaneous low frequency fluctuations are discussed in detail using a one-dimensional model of the inhomogeneous plasma capacitor. According to this model the instabilities appear in the layers with maximum linear transformation and (linear) absorption. In addition, a strong nonlinear part of absorption in the presence of the instability has been observed. The level of the spontaneous low frequency fluctuations influences strongly the spectrum of the parametrically excited ion waves. The experiments show a redistribution of the transferred ion acoustic wave energy over the whole wave continuum up to ω_pi, if a sufficient strong spontaneous fluctuation level exists in the plasma. It is impossible, however, to excite ion acoustic turbulence by the decay of the high frequency pump field under the present conditions. The conditions for the linear field enhancement are disturbed by the action of the ponderomotive forces changing the density profile near the critical point before reaching the strong pump amplitude being necessary for the excitation of a cascade of decay processes.     

On the low-threshold parametric mechanism of the anomalous power absorption in electron cyclotron resonance heating experiments in toroidal devices

The experimental conditions that facilitate the excitation of parametric decay instabilities upon the electron cyclotron resonance heating of a plasma at the second harmonic extraordinary wave in tokamaks and stellarators and, as a result, make anomalous absorption of microwave power possible have been analyzed. It has been shown that, in the case of a nonmonotonic radial profile of the plasma density, when the beam of electron cyclotron waves passes near the equatorial plane of a toroidal device, the parametric excitation of electron Bernstein waves, as well as the generation of ion Bernstein waves propagating from the parametric decay region to the nearest ion cyclotron harmonic, where they efficiently interact with ions, is possible. The proposed theoretical model can explain the anomalous generation of accelerated ions observed upon electron cyclotron heating in small and moderate toroidal facilities.     

Suppression and feedback control of anomalous induced backscattering by pump-frequency modulation

The possibility of induced backscattering parametric decay instability resonant suppression by harmonic pump-frequency modulation is demonstrated experimentally. It is shown that the pump anomalous reflection is strongly reduced at the modulation frequency equal to the difference of the decay instability eigenfrequencies. The parametric instability feedback control method is proposed based on this effect.     

First observation of ion acoustic waves produced by the langmuir decay instability

Thomson scattering measurements are presented which demonstrate conclusively the occurrence of the Langmuir decay instability (LDI) in a laser-produced plasma experiment. Both products of the instability, the ion acoustic wave and the electron plasma wave, were simultaneously observed and identified with their spectral characteristics. The secondary decay of the LDI-generated electron plasma wave, into another Langmuir wave and an ion acoustic wave, has been observed for the first time. The connection with growth and saturation of the stimulated Raman instability is discussed.     

Thomson-scattering study of the subharmonic decay of ion-acoustic waves driven by the Brillouin instability

Thomson scattering (TS) has been used to investigate the two-ion decay instability of ion acoustic waves generated by stimulated Brillouin scattering in an underdense CH plasma. Two complementary TS diagnostics, spectrally and spatially resolved, demonstrate the occurrence of the subharmonic decay of the primary ion acoustic wave into two secondary waves. The study of the laser intensity dependence shows that the secondary ion acoustic waves are correlated with the SBS reflectivity saturation, at a level of a few percent.     

The on-off contrast in an all optical switch based on stimulated Raman scattering in optical fibers

We present the investigation of the ON-OFF contrast in an optical switch using stimulated Raman Scattering in optical fibers. The setup consists of a Raman circuit of two fiber stages connected in series with a spectral filter rejecting the signal inserted between them. The stage 1 works as saturated amplifier, in this stage the pump pulses are saturated when pump and signal are launched to the input or travel through the fiber without saturation when pump only is launched at the input. The stage 2 works as a Raman amplifier with amplification depending on the pump power entering from the first stage. When pump only is launched at the input enter to the second stage without saturation and amplifies the signal entering this stage, strong signal pulses appear at the output; when pump and signal are launched to the input the pump is saturated in the first stage and the filter rejected the amplified signal, so that only low power pump enters the second stage and no signal pulses appear at the output. We use 2 ns pump pulses at 1528 nm and continuous-wave signal at 1620 nm. In the first stage of Raman circuit, we use both fibers with normal and anomalous dispersion. In fibers with anomalous dispersion, pump saturation is affected by modulation instability. We find that the contrast may be improved using fibers with normal and anomalous dispersion connected in series in the first stage, provided there is appropriate selection of their lengths. The best achieved contrast was 15 dB at 6 W pump peak power.     

光子晶体光纤反常色散区抽运产生超连续谱的相干特性分析

使用复互相干度的定义对超连续谱的相干性进行了数值计算,得到了不同功率抽运情况下的脉冲谱展宽以及超连续谱相干性的变化.结果表明孤子自频移以及色散波辐射是抽运波长位于光纤反常色散区情况下超连续谱展宽的主要物理机理,而超连续谱的相干性则主要受到调制不稳定性的影响.调制不稳定性放大抽运脉冲自身携带的随机噪声,使得非线性效应产生的光谱成分具有随机的相位与幅度,引起超连续谱相干性的下降. 抽运功率越高, 调制不稳定性增益越高,噪声对超连续谱产生的作用越强, 超连续谱的相干性越差.要获得高相干的超连续谱, 需采用峰值功率较小的脉冲进行抽运.要获得大谱宽高相干的超连续谱, 则需要合理选择抽运脉冲功率.     

Parametric excitation of electrostatic whistler wave and electronBernstein wave by extraordinary EM wave

In the present paper, the parametric decay instability of an extraordinary electromagnetic wave (X-wave) into an electron Bernstein wave (EBW) and an electrostatic whistler wave (W-wave) has been studied. Expressions are derived for homogeneous threshold, growth rate, and convective threshold for this instability. The relevance of the present parametric process has been pointed out to explain the generation of whistler mode radiations in the SL-2 experiment, ionospheric modification experiment, in the polar cusp region of the magnetosphere, as well as during intense electron cyclotron resonance heating in the MTX tokamak     

Determination of the stimulated-emission cross section in an end-pumped solid-state laser from laser-induced pump saturation data

A novel method for the determination of the stimulated-emission cross section in an end-pumped solid-state laser is presented. The technique is based on the fact that increasing intracavity laser intensity stimulates faster decay of excited atoms and reduces the saturation of pump absorption. The use of this laser-induced pump saturation method is demonstrated with experimental data collected from a Cr(4+): YAG laser and analyzed by use of a numerical model that calculates the change in the pump transmission as a function of the intracavity laser intensity. The predicted cross-section value of 1.1x10(-19)cm(2) agrees well with previously reported results.     

Parametric excitation of circularly polarized and ion waves in a magnetized plasma

Threshold intensities and growth rates are calculated for the parametric decay instability in which a circularly polarized pump wave excites a low frequency electrostatic ion wave and an electromagnetic circularly polarized wave in a magnetized plasma.