Laser Beam Deflection Induced by Transverse Plasma Flow.

Recent experiments in gas-filled hohlraums suggest that laser beams refract more than calculated by the hydrocode {lt}emph type={double_prime}6{double_prime}{gt}LASNEX. Three-dimensional simulations show that filamentation or forward Brillouin scattering in flowing plasma causes a deflection in the inferred direction of the appropriate magnitude. Simulations also show that temporal beam smoothing can suppress this effect. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}