Stimulated Raman backscatter from short laser pulses in plasmas

Abstract

The basic equations are formulated to study the selfconsistent space-time evolution of a intense ultrashort laser pulse and near-backward stimulated Raman scattered radiation. The analytic theory and numerical results are presented for spectra and intensities of scattered radiation produced by a laser pulse with a given form. A simple criterion is found for the weak influence of stimulated Raman backscattering (SRBS) on a pulse propagation. A few results of numerical simulations, showing the temporal evolution of SRBS spectrum by laser pulse propagation, are presented.