Magnetic field generation in plasmas due to anisotropic laser heating

Generation of magnetic fields around the laser speckles in underdense plasma due to an anisotropic laser heating is shown to be an important effect under the conditions previewed for the inertial confinement fusion. The anisotropy of electron distribution persists much longer than the electron collision time and creates a steady source for the quasistationary magnetic field. The structure of magnetic field around the laser beam is studied along with the effects of plasma dynamics, speckle intensity profile, and the electron heat transport.