Modeling of breakdown of a gas by electrons of the boundary layer during irradiation of metal targets by picosecond laser pulses

Results are presented from a numerical simulation of the breakdown of a dense inert gas by boundary-layer electrons upon irradiation of a metal target by high-power picosecond laser pulses. It is shown that taking the electric field of the boundary layer into account leads to a substantial increase in the concentration of the seed electrons near the target surface, which accelerates the ionization process. The dependence of the breakdown time on the electric field intensity of the incident wave and the concentration of the gas atoms is derived. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 48–53 (August 1998)