Fundamental properties of warm dense matter are described by the dielectric function, which gives access to the frequency-dependent electrical conductivity; absorption, emission, and scattering of radiation; charged particles stopping; and further macroscopic properties. Different approaches to the dielectric function and the related dynamical collision frequency are compared in a wide frequency range. The high-frequency limit describing inverse bremsstrahlung and the low-frequency limit of the dc conductivity are considered. Sum rules and Kramers-Kronig relation are checked for the generalized linear response theory and the standard approach following kinetic theory. The results are discussed in application to aluminum, xenon, and argon plasmas.

A non-symmetrical theoretical model is used to describe the propagation of laser beams in dielectric capillary waveguides under non-ideal coupling conditions. The displacement of the laser beam focusing point from the capillary axis, the deviation of the transverse energy distribution from a symmetric one, and an angle of incidence different from zero modify, through the excitation and beating of several modes, the energy repartition during the propagation in the waveguides. The results of modeling are in very good agreement with experimental results, obtained with a low-intensity laser beam on a test bench, where good control of the laser energy distribution in the focal plane, the focusing point position, and the angle of incidence was achieved.

The permittivity of Lorentz plasmas and wide-range expression for effective frequency of collisions of electrons are considered in wide temperature range. The proposed expression fulfills all limiting cases (high- and low-frequency skin effect, degenerate and nondegenerate plasmas) and permits one to incorporate different physical phenomena in warm dense matter like contribution of electron-phonon collisions and umklamp process to permittivity. For the case of aluminum plasmas, the model takes into account both intraband and interband contributions to permittivity via semi-empirical Huttner model modified in such a way to ensure proper description of optical properties of aluminum at room temperatures.

For producing of high-quality accelerated electron bunches the structure of laser fields and accelerating wakefields inside the guiding structure should be regular enough to conserve a high value of accelerating longitudinal field throughout the propagation and avoid strong defocusing transverse fields. We had compared the efficiency of capillary waveguides and plasma channels in achieving of this goal, taking in mind different possible nonsymmetric conditions (like non-symmetric shape of laser spot, non-zero angle of incidence of a laser pulse or deviation of a focusing point relatively to the guiding structure axis) of laser pulses focusing in a guiding structure, always available in real experiments. The model for laser pulses propagation in guiding structures for the case of arbitrary dissymmetry of laser focusing is presented.