ION DENSITY FLUCTUATIONS IN PLASMA AND THEIR EFFECTS ON HOT ELECTRON GENERATION

In this thesis, high-energy electron generation by stimulated Raman scattering of intense laser light is investigated in computer simulations. These high-energy electrons can be used to produce a high-energy x-ray source for Nuclear Weapons Effects Testing. The simulation results are compared with actual experiments conducted at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in the United Kingdom. The simulations show that the heated electron temperature is significantly lowered and the frequency spectrum of the scattered light is broadened by strong ion density fluctuations in the plasma. These density fluctuations are produced when the Raman scattered light undergoes Brillouin backscattering. Interactive Data Language is also used to analyze the spectrum of Raman scattered light in some recent experiments with the OMEGA laser at the University of Rochester.