Specific electrodynamic features of a plasma channel created in gas by powerful femtosecond UV laser pulse application to the problem of guiding and amplification of microwave radiation

Abstract

The evolution of strongly non-equilibrium plasma in a channel created in xenon by powerful KrF - femtosecond laser pulse is studied. It is demonstrated that such a plasma channel can be used as a waveguide for both transportation and amplification of the microwave radiation. The specific features of such a plasma waveguide are studied on the basis of the self-consistent solution of the kinetic Boltzmann equation for the electron energy distribution function in different spatial points of the gas media and the wave equation in paraxial approximation for the microwave radiation guided and amplified in the channel. The amplification factor in dependence on plasma channel radius, intensity and frequency of the input RF radiation is analyzed.