The influence of second-order dispersion (SOD) on stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in the interaction of an ultrashort intense laser with plasma was investigated. More significant backward SRS was observed with the increase of the absolute value of SOD ($\mid \kern-1pt\!{\psi}_2\!\kern-1pt\mid$). The integrated intensity of the scattered light is positively correlated to the driver laser pulse duration. Accompanied by the side SRS, filaments with different angles along the laser propagation direction were observed in the transverse shadowgraph. A model incorporating Landau damping and above-threshold ionization was developed to explain the SOD-dependent angular distribution of the filaments.

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in plasma in a non-eigenmode regime is studied theoretically and numerically. Different from normal SRS with the eigen electrostatic mode excited, the non-eigenmode SRS is developed at plasma density $n_{e}>0.25n_{c}$ when the laser amplitude is larger than a certain threshold. To satisfy the phase-matching conditions of frequency and wavenumber, the excited electrostatic mode has a constant frequency around half of the incident light frequency $\unicode[STIX]{x1D714}_{0}/2$, which is no longer the eigenmode of electron plasma wave $\unicode[STIX]{x1D714}_{pe}$. Both the scattered light and the electrostatic wave are trapped in plasma with their group velocities being zero. Super-hot electrons are produced by the non-eigen electrostatic wave. Our theoretical model is validated by particle-in-cell simulations. The SRS driven in this non-eigenmode regime is an important laser energy loss mechanism in the laser plasma interactions as long as the laser intensity is higher than $10^{15}~\text{W}/\text{cm}^{2}$.

Absolute instability modes due to secondary scattering of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in a large nonuniform plasma are studied theoretically and numerically. The backscattered light of convective SRS can be considered as a pump light with a finite bandwidth. The different frequency components of the backscattered light can be coupled to develop absolute SRS instability near their quarter-critical densities via rescattering process. The absolute SRS mode develops a Langmuir wave with a high phase velocity of about $c/\sqrt{3}$ with $c$ the light speed in vacuum. Given that most electrons are at low velocities in the linear stage, the absolute SRS mode grows with very weak Landau damping. When the interaction evolves into the nonlinear regime, the Langmuir wave can heat abundant electrons up to a few hundred keV via the SRS rescattering. Our theoretical model is validated by particle-in-cell simulations. The absolute instabilities may play a considerable role in the experiments of inertial confinement fusion.

Laser light trapping in cavities in near-critical density plasmas is studied by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. The laser ponderomotive force can create in the plasma a vacuum cavity bounded by a thin overcritical-density wall. The laser light is self-consistently trapped as a half-cycle electromagnetic wave in the form of an oscillon-caviton structure until it is slowly depleted through interaction with the cavity wall. When the near-critical density plasma contains a preformed cavity, laser light can become a standing wave in the latter. The trapped light is characterized as multi-peak structure. The overdense plasma wall around the self-generated and preformed cavities induced by the laser ponderomotive force is found to be crucial for pulse trapping. Once this wall forms, the trapped pulse can hardly penetrate.