Work

Laser amplification in e − − μ − -ion plasmas

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We investigate laser amplification in ${e}^{\ensuremath{-}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{ion}$ plasmas, where negative muons partially replace electrons. Theoretical results reveal a hybrid plasma wave, called $\ensuremath{\mu}$ wave, that exhibits ion-acoustic behavior in long-wavelength regime and Langmuir-like behavior in short-wavelength regime. Besides, the Landau damping of $\ensuremath{\mu}$ wave is smaller than that of Langmuir wave. Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations confirm the theoretical results of instabilities in ${e}^{\ensuremath{-}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{ion}$ plasmas. The $\ensuremath{\mu}$ wave enables efficient laser amplification by suppressing pump-driven spontaneous instabilities through enhanced Landau damping of Langmuir waves. Compared to Raman amplification, $\ensuremath{\mu}$-wave amplification can maintain the Gaussian waveform of the seed laser, avoiding pulse splitting. Compared to strong-coupling Brillouin amplification, $\ensuremath{\mu}$-wave amplification exhibits weaker filamentation instability. Our theoretical model can be generalized to other plasma systems containing two species of negatively charged particles, such as two-temperature electron plasmas and negative-ion plasma. These findings establish ${e}^{\ensuremath{-}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{ion}$ plasma as a promising medium for advanced laser amplification schemes.

Source: Physical review. E

DOI: 10.1103/ww5f-k4kk