Prepulse suppression and optimization of backward Raman amplification with a chirped pump laser beam.

Two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations have been performed to demonstrate how chirping the pump laser beam can make the seed backward Raman amplification more efficient. The PIC code ocean is detailed and validated with theoretical analysis of the three-wave coupling. Particular attention is devoted to the impact of numerical noise on Raman scattering. Once the numerical parameters are set, one- and two-dimensional simulations exhibit the ability to suppress the pedestal pulse preceding the amplified seed laser beam and lower the spontaneous Raman scattering by appropriately choosing the pump chirp value.