Generation of THz Radiation from Laser Beam Filamentation in a Magnetized Plasma

The terahertz (THz) frequency radiation production as a result of nonlinear interaction of high intense laser beam with low density ripple in a magnetized plasma has been studied. If the appropriate phase matching conditions are satisfied and the frequency of the ripple is appropriate then this difference frequency can be brought in the THz range. Self focusing (filamentation) of a circularly polarized beam propagating along the direction of static magnetic field in plasma is first investigated within extended‐paraxial ray approximation. The beam gets focused when the initial power of the laser beam is greater than its critical power. Resulting localized beam couples with the pre‐existing density ripple to produce a nonlinear current driving the THz radiation. By changing the strength of the magnetic field, one can enhance or suppress the THz emission. The expressions for the laser beam width parameter, the electric field vector of the THz wave have been obtained. For typical laser beam and plasma parameters with the incident laser intensity ≈ 10¹⁴ W/cm², laser beam radius (r₀) = 50 μm, laser frequency (ω₀) = 1.8848 × 10¹⁴rad/s, electron plasma (low density rippled) wave frequency (ω₀) = 1.2848 × 10¹⁴ rad/s, plasma density (n₀) = 5.025 × 10¹⁷cm^–3, normalized ripple density amplitude (μ)=0.1, the produced THz emission can be at the level of Giga watt (GW) in power (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)