Laser plasma influence on the space-time structure of powerful laser radiation

This paper deals with the influence of laser plasma on the structure of the radiation field of a powerful Nd-glass laser with pulse energy up to 30 J and with the diameter of the output beam 45 mm. Laser plasma is generated by focusing the laser radiation on a low-density target such as nylon mesh and teflon or mylar films. Temporal profile of the laser pulse with a total duration of 25 ns consists of a several short pulse train. Duration of each pulse is about 2 ns. Notable smoothing of spatially non-uniform radiation structure was observed in the middle of the laser pulse.