Effect of Side-Scatter Instabilities on the Propagation of an Intense Laser Beam in an Inhomogeneous Plasma

Abstract

Two-dimensional simulations of laser-plasma interactions in inhomogeneous media have been performed and clearly demonstrate that inhomogeneity effects can be strongly stabilizing for backscatter instabilities but may not be for sidescatter. The nonlinear evolution of the sidescatter is followed and indicates the possibility of very strong anomalous scattering of the incident laser light.