A nonperiodic Euler–Vlasov code for the numerical simulation of laser–plasma beat wave acceleration and Raman scattering

Abstract

Numerical simulations of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and beat wave acceleration (BWA) are presented, which were obtained with an Eulerian relativistic Vlasov code. Such a code provides good resolution all over phase space, including very low density regions where particle-in-cell codes simply run out of calculation particles. This resolution is important for these problems because of the intense interest in the highly accelerated electrons. In this paper the emphasis is on the development of the Vlasov code for a bounded plasma, which is much more realistic than the periodic, initial-value case treated in an earlier publication.