2-DIMENSIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF SELF-GENERATED MAGNETIC-FIELDS NEAR THE LASER-PLASMA RESONANT-INTERACTION REGION

The two-dimensional distribution of self-generated magnetic fields near the laser-plasma interaction region is observed for the first time by the very simple method of laser irradiation of audio magnetic tape. The lobe structure is a maximum at the incident angle of 10A°to 15A°for p-polarized laser light. The direction of the fields is perpendicular to the density gradient and to the incident p-polarization plane. These observations support resonance absorption as the field-generation mechanism. © 1979 The American Physical Society.