CHARACTERISTICS OF PULSE COMPRESSION IN LASER PULSE AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED RAMAN BACKSCATTERING*

The characteristics of pulse compression during the laser pulse amplification using a counter-propagating pump and plasmas have been investigated using a one-dimensional fluid model of stimulated Raman backscattering. The pulse widths of the amplified laser at the front and rear half are examined in terms of the initial amplitudes of the pump and the seed, and the ratio of the electron plasma frequency to the laser frequency. The pulse widths have a common scaling behaviour in time over the considered parameter regime. The scaling exponents of the pulse widths during broadening and compression are all the same as 1.0. The pulse compression scaling shows a reciprocal behaviour to the peak energy growth