High Harmonic Generation in High Power Lasers

Celso Grebogi*, Vipin K. Tripathi, Hsing Hen Chen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingPublished conference contribution

Abstract

It was observed experimentally that high power laser light (I approx. 10**1**6W/cm**2) as produced by the CO//2-laser Gemini and Helios systems generates very high harmonics with nearly constant efficiency over several high harmonics with a cutoff given by the local plasma frequency at the upper density shelf. We study the response of a strongly inhomogeneous plasma to the high power laser light. We derive the equation of electron motion in lagrangean variables and find the conditions on the density scale length and power intensities for wavebreaking (typically, one waveperiod for density profile L//n approx. 0. 1 lambda and I approx. 10**1**6W/cm**2 near the critical layer). We show that the source of a given high harmonic frequency is localized around the density region corresponding to a local plasma wave at that frequency.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationLaser Interaction and Related Plasma Phenomena
EditorsHeinreich Hora, George H Miley
PublisherPlenum Press
Pages401-415
Number of pages15
Volume6
ISBN (Electronic)978-1-4615-7332-6
ISBN (Print)978-1-4615-7334-0
Publication statusPublished - 1984

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