Numerical simulation of microwave amplification in a plasma channel produced in a gas via multiphoton ionisation by a femtosecond laser pulse

Abstract

This paper examines the evolution of a nonequilibrium plasma channel produced in xenon by a femtosecond KrF laser pulse. We demonstrate that such a channel can be used to amplify microwave pulses over times of the order of the relaxation time of the photoelectron energy spectrum in xenon. Using the slowly varying amplitude approximation, we analyse the propagation and amplification of an rf pulse in a plasma channel, in particular when the rf field influences the electron energy distribution function in the plasma.