To the theory of mandel'shtam-brillouin scattering in the plasma layer

The evolution of a perturbation from a local source for Mandel'shtam-Brillouin scattering in a plasma layer with unlimited length is calculated. Perturbation over time in this case can either leave the scattering region through one of the two boundaries, or propagate along the layer at a speed below sound wave propagation speed, with an exponential growth, or a fall in perturbation amplitude. In the particular case of strictly backward scattering (the scattering angle is $\pi$), this propagation velocity is zero. The paper calculates the threshold instability fields and the instability increments, taking into account both convective losses and collisional attenuation of waves. It is shown that the instability threshold for scattering at an arbitrary angle can be lower than for strictly backwards scattering and when the threshold is exceeded by the intensity of the pump wave; the scattering increment at an angle can also be higher than the increment for backscattering. When the threshold is greatly exceeded, the convective losses can be neglected, and the largest increment is observed for backward scattering.