Breaking Beams: A Kinetic Treatment of the Filamentation and Forward Scatter of Laser Beams in Plasma

Executive Summary

We will investigate the role of kinetic and thermal processes in the filamentation and forward-scattering of laser light in high-energy-density plasmas. Modern high-fidelity kinetic simulations will inform development of reduced models for use in wave- and ray-based codes, which will support studies of materials under extreme conditions.