扬姆孙散射是低能光子与自由电子之间的弹性散射.因为汤姆孙散射光谱携带着等离子体涨落的信息,通过测量汤姆孙散射光谱可以高精度地测量等离子体的多种参数,如电子温度、电子密度、等离子体流速等等.经过多年的发展,汤姆孙散射已经成为等离子体物理研究中最重要的一种诊断工具。
Thomson scattering is the process in which a low-energy photon scatters from a free electron. When a laser pulse propagates through a plasma, the spectrum of the scattered light due to the Thomson scattering is pro- portional to the power spectrum of the electron density fluctuations, i. e. , dynamic form factor, from which various plasma parameters can be inferred, such as electron temperature and plasma flow velocity. After years of develop- ment, Thomson scattering has now become a powerful diagnostic tool of plasma physics.