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Aspects of Electron Acoustic Wave Physics in Laser Backscatter from Plasmas

Recent experimental results from the Trident laser confirm the importance of kinetic effects in determining laser reflectivities at high intensities. Examples observed include scattering from low frequency electron acoustic waves (EAWs), and the first few stages of a cascade towards turbulence through the Langmuir decay instability. Interpretive and predictive computational capability in this area is assisted by the development of Vlasov codes, which offer high velocity space resolution in high energy regions of particle phase space, and do not require analytical pre-processing of the fundamental equations. A direct Vlasov solver, capable of resolving these kinetic processes, is used here to address fundamental aspects of the existence and stability of the electron acoustic wave, together with its collective scattering properties. These simulations are extended to realistic laser and plasma parameters characteristic of single hot-spot experiments. Results are in qualitative agreement with experiments displaying both stimulated Raman and stimulated electron acoustic scattering. The amplitude of simulated EAWs is greater than that observed experimentally, and is accompanied by a higher phase velocity. These minor differences can be attributed to the limitations of a one-dimensional collisionless model.