  Recent advancements in low-frequency short-pulse $CO_2$ lasers and the
production of strong magnetic fields have made experimental studies on laser
interactions with magnetized plasma a near-future possibility. Therefore,
theoretical and numerical simulation studies have been pursued lately in this
direction [A. Das, Review of Modern Plasma Physics 4, 1 (2020)] illustrating a
host of novel phenomena related to laser energy absorption [Vashistha et al.,
New Journal of Physics, 22(6):063023 (2020); Goswami et al., Plasma Physics and
Controlled Fusion 63, 115003 (2021)], harmonic generation [Maity et al.,
Journal of Plasma Physics, 87(5) (2021)], etc. However, most of these studies
have been carried out in one-dimensional geometry with the laser having
infinite transverse extent, and the plasma target was considered cold. This
manuscript explores the manifestation of the 2-D and thermal effects on the
problem of a laser interacting with magnetized plasma. As expected, additional
transverse ponderomotive force is shown to be operative. A finite temperature
of the target, along with transverse density stratification generates, leads to
diamagnetic drift for the two plasma species. The imbalance of this drift
between the two species can be an additional effect leading to an enhancement
of laser energy absorption. The Particle - In - Cell (PIC) simulations with the
OSIRIS4.0 platform is used to explore these features.
