title: Spectral dynamics of spatially incoherent bump-on-tail instability.
abstract: We examine an all-optical bump-on-tail instability by considering the nonlinear interaction of two partially incoherent spatial beams. Using a radiation transport approach, we develop plasmalike dispersion relations for perturbation modes and show that a positive gradient in the power spectrum can trigger instability. Theoretical considerations are confirmed by experiment and numerical simulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.
authors.forename: Dmitry V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Dylov
authors.forename: Jason W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Fleischer