Postionisation of a spatially nonuniform plasma plume under high-intensity femtosecond laser irradiation

• Published in: Quantum electronics (Woodbury, N.Y.) Vol. 47; no. 1; pp. 42 - 47
• Main Authors: Krestovskikh, D A, Ivanov, K A, Tsymbalov, I N, Shulyapov, S A, Bukin, V V, Volkov, R V, Rupasov, A A, Savel'ev, A B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 01.01.2017
• Subjects: ATOMS; CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; Diagnostic systems; ELECTRON DENSITY; Electron plasma; Evolution; Femtosecond; Femtosecond pulses; Field ionization; IONIZATION; IRRADIATION; LASER RADIATION; LASER TARGETS; LASER-PRODUCED PLASMA; Lasers; Nonuniform plasmas; Plasma; Plasma clouds; PLASMA DENSITY; PLUMES; PULSES; Quantum electronics; SOLIDS; SURFACES; TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
• DOI: 10.1070/QEL16267
• ISSN: 1063-7818

The plasma plume formed by a high-power nanosecond laser pulse on the surface of solid targets as well as the plume parameters after its irradiation by a high-intensity femtosecond laser pulse are investigated by optical diagnostic techniques. Two-dimensional patterns of the electron plasma density are reconstructed from experimentally recorded interferograms at different stages of plasma evolution. It is shown that the interaction of the high-intensity femtosecond radiation with the plasma cloud is accompanied by the field ionisation of atoms and ions as well as by a significant increase in the electron density throughout the interaction volume.