Trapping and absorption of an axially directed CO2 laser beam by a θ-pinch plasma
- 15 January 1974
- journal article
- research article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters
- Vol. 24 (2), 93-95
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1655108
Abstract
A deuterium‐filled θ pinch was axially irradiated in the first half‐cycle by a CO2 laser to demonstrate the effects of beam trapping and absorption by a plasma. Peak electron densities were 5×1016 cm−3 and the nonirradiated axial temperature was about 1.3 eV. Detection of the laser radiation transmitted through the plasma showed that beam trapping occurred when the density profile had a minimum on axis, and the maximum laser‐induced temperature increase of 2 eV occurred for irradiation at the time of maximum density, in agreement with inverse bremsstrahlung predictions. Furthermore, the plasma emission histories indicated that the column underwent a laser‐induced elongation of up to twice its original length.Keywords
This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- Propagation of Coherent Radiation in a Cylindrical Plasma ColumnPhysics of Fluids, 1971