Laser heating of its erosional low-temperature plasma in the process of gasdynamic motion

A study is made of the gasdynamical and optical properties of erosional laser plasma jets in the presence and absence of laser radiation. It is shown that in processes of plasma formation during the action of laser radiation of moderate intensity (q 10⁷ W/cm²) on absorbing materials, the heating of the disintegration products by the attacking laser radiation plays an important role. The temperature distribution is obtained along the plasma jet which forms during the laser attack counter to its propagation in a quartz tube confining the dispersion. The temperature maximum is found at the exit from the tube, is caused by the heating of the erosional laser plasma by the incident laser radiation in the process of its one-dimensional gasdynamical motion, and indicates the screening of the surface from the laser radiation. It is established that the screening is affected by the gasdynamical structure of the plasma jet and by the spacing of the plasma clusters corresponding to the regular pulses of laser radiation.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 1, pp. 13–18, January–February, 1974.The authors are grateful to M. A. El'yashevich for his interest in the work.