The 6th International Conference on Matter and Radiation at Extremes (ICMRE2023)

6 / 2023-03-02 18:10:48

Dynamics of nanosecond laser pulse propagation and of associated instabilities in a magnetized underdense plasma

laser plasma interaction,magnetized,plasma instabilities,High Energy Density Sciences,particle-in-cell simulation,Magneto-hydrodynamics

Inertial Confinement Fusion Physics > Holraum and laser-plasma interaction-II

The propagation and energy coupling of intense laser beams in plasmas are critical issues in inertial confinement fusion. Applying magnetic fields to such a setup has been evoked to enhance fuel confinement and heating, and mitigate laser energy losses. Here we report on experimental measurements demonstrating improved transmission and increased smoothing of a high-power laser beam propagating in a magnetized underdense plasma. We also measure enhanced backscattering, which our kinetic simulations show is due to magnetic confinement of hot electrons, thus leading to reduced target preheating.