Plasma wave turbulence and particle heating caused by electron beams, radiation and pinches

For electron beams, a theory of the dynamics of driven Langmuir wave turbulence was developed. In low density beams, Langmuir wave evolution was found to be governed by nonlinear index of refraction effects, and associated self-focusing, rather than by wave reaction back on the beam. In laser-plasma interactions, the nonlinear theoretical work was verified experimentally in collaboration with Dr. N. Peacock of Culham Laboratories. In an experiment on nonlinear interactions of a carbon dioxide laser with a dense plasma focus device, almost 100 percent anomalous absorption of the radiation was observed along with intense Langmuir turbulence. The results were published in Physical Review Letters. A classical theory of the Raman-induced Kerr effect was developed. A computer code was developed to help determine plasma temperatures, radiation, impurity distributions, and overall plasma evolution in Z-pinch plasmas.