Theoretical study of the caviton laser: a broadband radiation source

Abstract

Injection of relativistic electron beams into a plasma with a nominal beam-to-plasma density ratio in the 0.1-2.0 range has resulted in high- power broadband microwave emission.¹,² Besides its intrinsic scientific value, the scheme has a number of potential applications. A theoretical model is presented based on the generation of cavitons, local depressions in the ion density during beam-plasma interactions.³,⁴ This model accounts well for the experimentally observed radiation power and spectrum. It is similar to models of the tree-electron laser with the exception that the electrostatic field of the cavitons plays the role of an externally imposed wiggler field.