High-Energy Laser-Target Interactions
Abstract
A general model of high-energy laser interactions with solid surfaces is presented. Fluid transport equations are used to describe the heating and vaporization of a solid surface irradiated by intense laser energy. The vaporized target material diffuses into an ambient gas. Both the target vapor and ambient gas can ionize. Separate transport equations are used for the ambient gas, the gas of atoms in an excited state, the electrons, the target vapor, the ionized ambient gas, and the ionized target vapor. Among the over 30 physical processes included in the model are: laser wave absorption, electron and ion gas heating, diffusion of each species, excitation collisions, recombination, radiation transport, photoionization, shock formation, cascade ionization, thermionic emission, neutral impact ionization and energy, and momentum transfer among all fluid species. a computer program has been developed to numerically integrate these transport equations. The ignition and propagation of laser-supported absorption waves (LAWs) are studied as a function of incident power level. Graphs are presented of the temperature and density profiles of each species at various instants in time as a function of the incident laser power level. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 06, 1975
- Accession Number
- ADA020292
Entities
People
- Richard L. Taylor
- Robert J. Papa
Organizations
- Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories