Nonlinear kinetic effects induced by electrostatic weak turbulence in Vlasov-Maxwell simulations of stimulated Raman Back-Scattering in optical mixing

Abstract
We report here semi-lagrangian Vlasov-Maxwell simulations of laser-plasma instabilities in an underdense plasma in which an essential role is played not only by the conventional instabilities as Stimulated Raman Back-Scattering (SRBS) (involving the scattering off of high-frequency electron plasma waves) but also by organized trapped electron modes resulting from such instabilities. Electron hole merging in phase space modifies the nonlinear frequency shift of the electron plasma wave. A Raman-like parametric instability is generated with shifted scattered modes, matching conditions being conserved in time in spite of the shift.