Evolution properties of a high-order Laguerre-Gaussian laser beam in collisional inhomogeneous plasma

Abstract In this paper, paraxial like approach and Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) approximation are used to analyze the evolution characteristics of Laguerre–Gaussian laser beams in a collisional inhomogeneous plasma. From the perspective of the dielectric function, the study is conducted in terms of the variation of the dielectric function with the dimensionless propagation distance, the variation of intensity with the dielectric function and the dimensionless propagation distance, and the variation of intensity with the radial coordinate. Through comparative analysis, it is found that the method of exploring the evolution of Laguerre–Gaussian beams in plasma using the dielectric function is feasible. However, this method is applicable to the modified paraxial approach that incorporates the modified dielectric function. We have also studied the influence of the intensity parameter and the normalized beam width parameter on the evolution characteristics of Laguerre–Gaussian laser beams.