Spatiotemporal intermittency and chaos in stimulated Raman backscattering

Abstract

Spatiotemporal dynamics of stimulated Raman backscattering in a finite, weakly dissipative plasma, with non-linear phase detuning taken into account, is examined numerically. The non-linear model of a three-wave interaction, involving quadratic coupling of slowly varying complex amplitudes of the laser pump, the backscattering and the electron plasma waves, exhibits spatiotemporal intermittency and chaos following a quasi-periodic scenario. Qualitative analysis of spatiotemporal patterns reveals increasing complexity both for the backscattered and the electron plasma wave as the relative pump strength increases. The transition from spatiotemporal intermittency to chaos is identified using methods from the theory of critical phenomena.