Enhanced stimulated Raman scattering during intense laser propagation

Abstract

Stimulated Raman scattering is ubiquitous in many high-intensity laser environments. Parametric four-wave mixing between the pump and Raman sidebands can affect the Raman gain, but stringent phase matching requirements and strongly nonlinear dynamics obscure clear understanding of its effects at high laser powers. Here we investigate four-wave mixing in the presence of strong self-focusing and weak ionization at laser powers above the Kerr critical power. Theoretical analysis shows that the plasma generated at focus naturally leads to phase matching conditions suitable for enhanced Raman gain, almost without regard to the initial phase mismatch. Multidimensional nonlinear optical simulations with multiphoton and collisional ionization confirm the enhancement and suggest that it may lead to significantly higher Raman losses in some high-intensity laser environments.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Dec 09, 2022
Source ID
10.1364/oe.474104

Entities

People

  • Antonio Ting
  • Bahman Hafizi
  • D. Gordon
  • J Ryan Peterson
  • Luke A. Johnson
  • T. G. Jones
  • Yu-hsin Chen

Organizations

  • MITRE Corporation
  • National Nuclear Security Administration
  • National Science Foundation
  • SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
  • Stanford University
  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Optical Physics and Photonics.
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy