Nonlinear backward stimulated Raman scattering from electron beam acoustic modes in the kinetic regime

The backward stimulated Raman scattering (BSRS) of a laser from electron beam acoustic modes (BAM) in the presence of self-consistent non-Maxwellian velocity distributions is examined by linear theory and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations in one and two dimensions (1D and 2D). The BAM evolve from Langmuir waves (LW) as electron trapping modifies the distribution to a non-Maxwellian form that exhibits a beam component. Linear dispersion relations using the nonlinearly modified distribution from simulations are solved for the electrostatic modes involved in the parametric coupling. Results from linear analysis agree well with electrostatic spectra from simulations. It is shown that the intersection of the Stokes root with BAM (instead of LW) determines the matching conditions for BSRS at a nonlinear stage. As the frequency of the unstable Stokes mode decreases with increasing wave number, the damping rate and the phase velocity of BAM decreases with the phase velocity of the Stokes mode, providing a self-consistently evolving plasma linear response that favors continuation of the nonlinear frequency shift. Coincident with the emergence of BAM is a rapid increase in BSRS reflectivity. The details of the wave-particle interaction region in the electron velocity distribution determine the growth/damping rate of these electrostatic modes and the nonlinear frequency shift; in modeling this behavior, the use of sufficiently large numbers of particles in the simulations is crucial. Both the reflectivity scaling with laser intensity and the spectral features from simulations are discussed and are consistent with recent Trident experiments. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.