Long-lasting plasma density structures utilizing tailored density profiles

M. Luo; C. Riconda; A. Grassi; N. Wang; J. S. Wurtele; I. Pusztai; T. Fülöp

doi:10.1063/5.0312402

Volume 11 Issue 4

Jul. 2026

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M. Luo, C. Riconda, A. Grassi, N. Wang, J. S. Wurtele, I. Pusztai, T. Fülöp. Long-lasting plasma density structures utilizing tailored density profiles[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(4): 047201. doi: 10.1063/5.0312402

Citation:

M. Luo, C. Riconda, A. Grassi, N. Wang, J. S. Wurtele, I. Pusztai, T. Fülöp. Long-lasting plasma density structures utilizing tailored density profiles[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(4): 047201. doi: 10.1063/5.0312402

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Long-lasting plasma density structures utilizing tailored density profiles

doi: 10.1063/5.0312402

M. Luo^{1, 2
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C. Riconda^3
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A. Grassi^3
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N. Wang^4
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J. S. Wurtele^5
,,
I. Pusztai^1
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T. Fülöp^1
,

1.
Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg SE 41296, Sweden
2.
Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
3.
LULI, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, École Polytechnique, CEA, 75252 Paris, France
4.
College of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
5.
Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA

More Information

Corresponding author: a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: mufei.luo@physics.ox.ac.uk
Received Date: 2025-11-16
Accepted Date: 2026-03-08

Available Online: 2026-07-24

Publish Date: 2026-07-24

Abstract

Abstract

Using fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations, we investigate the stability and performance of autoresonant plasma beat-wave excitation in plasmas with tailored density profiles. We show that a prescribed spatial variation of the background density sustains continuous phase locking between the driving laser beat and the excited plasma mode, thereby enabling precise control of the shape and group velocity of the plasma wavepacket and providing an alternative to frequency chirping of the drive lasers. The density-gradient scale is found to govern the nonlinear autoresonant growth, and the attainable saturation amplitude can exceed the classical Rosenbluth–Liu prediction and, for appropriate laser intensities, approach the nonrelativistic wave-breaking limit. We show that a four-laser configuration in a steep parabolic density profile can generate a specially confined two-phase quasi-periodic plasma lattice. The generation of such structures may lead to novel applications in plasma photonics.

Conflict of Interest
The authors have no conflicts to disclose.
Author Contributions
M. Luo: Conceptualization (equal); Data curation (lead); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Visualization (lead); Writing – original draft (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). C. Riconda: Conceptualization (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Writing – original draft (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). A. Grassi: Conceptualization (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Writing – original draft (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). N. Wang: Conceptualization (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Writing – original draft (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). J. S. Wurtele: Conceptualization (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Writing – original draft (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). I. Pusztai: Conceptualization (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Writing – original draft (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). T. Fülöp: Conceptualization (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Writing – original draft (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal).
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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References(32)

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