Blast Wave Generation by the Bombardment of TEA CO2 Laser at Low Pressures

Abstract

pressures of surrounding gas. A luminous plasma with a hemispherical shape of about 3 cm radius is produced at the pressure of 1 Torr, while the gas breakdown takes place predominantly at pressures of above 10 Torr. The plasma has thin shell structure. The displacement of the front of the shell is proportional to the two-fifths power of time. The luminous plasma is found to be excited by the blast wave produced by the atoms gushed from the sample.