HIGH INTENSITY LASER PROPAGATION IN THE ATMOSPHERE

Abstract

An approximate solution is found to the nonlinear, partial differential equation describing the thermal self-defocusing effect. The solution is for the special case of a flux distribution leaving the laser face, which has planar symmetry, is uniform over a semi-infinite region (simulating the interior of the beam) and falls off exponentially at the edge. The rays originating in the interior region are found to go up undeflected until they reach a height proportional to their original distance in from the edge and inversely proportional to the square root of the amount of heat per unit volume thus far deposited along the ray path. Then they begin to deflect outwards parabolically, more sharply for a larger heat density so far deposited, and also more sharply for a more steeply descending edge of the initial flux distribution.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1968
Accession Number
AD0691029

Entities

People

  • L. M. Frantz

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Absorption Coefficients
  • Coefficients
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Department Of Defense
  • Differential Equations
  • Equations
  • Geometry
  • Laser Beams
  • Military Research
  • Partial Differential Equations
  • Physics
  • Physics Laboratories
  • Refractive Index
  • Specific Heat
  • Square Roots
  • Two Dimensional
  • United States Government

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Finite Element Method (FEM) for solving Partial Differential Equations (PDEs)
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Directed Energy - Pulsed-Laser Deposition