Nonlinear Thomson Scattering of Intense Laser Pulse from Beams and Plasmas
Abstract
A Comprehensive theory is developed to describe the nonlinear Thomson scattering of intense laser fields from beams and plasmas. This theory is valid for linearly or circularly polarized incident laser fields of arbitrary intensities and for electrons of arbitrary energies. Explicit expressions for the intensity distributions of the scattered radiation are calculated and numerically evaluated. The space-charge electrostatic potential, which is important in high density plasmas and prevents the axial drift of electrons, is included self-consistently. Various properties of the scattered radiation are examined, including the linewidth, angular distribution, and the behavior of the radiation spectra at ultrahigh intensities. Non-ideal effects, such as electron energy spread and beam emittance, are discussed. A laser synchrotron source (LSS), based on nonlinear Thomson scattering, may provide a practical method for generating tunable, near monochromatic, well collimated, short pulse x-rays in a compact, relatively inexpensive source. Two examples of possible LSS configurations are presented: an electron beam LSS generating hard (30 keV, 0.4 A) x-rays and a plasma LSS generating soft (0.3 keV, 40 A) x-rays. These LSS configurations are capable of generating ultrashort (approx. 1 ps) x-ray pulses with high peak flux (> 10(21) photons/s) and brightness (> 10(19) photons/s-mm2- mrad (2) 0.1% BW). Synchrotron radiation, Thomson scattering, Laser-plasma interactions
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 23, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA269556
Entities
People
- Eric Esarey
- Phillip A. Sprangle
- Sally K. Ride
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory