Gas Breakdown Calculation: A Comparative Study.

Abstract

An attempt is made to develop a simple yet accurate gas breakdown model which can be easily coupled to the hydrodynamic equations governing fluid flow in laser-target interactions. The accuracy of three relatively simple models is investigated. Each is compared with the more accurate and complex quantum kinetic model. A gas consisting of a single monatomic species is assumed and attention is restricted to the early portion of the electron cascade. A temperature model is found to agree reasonably well with the quantum kinetic model at values of incident laser flux greater than 5 x 10 to the 9th power W/sq cm. A diffusion model is found to yield similar results. A two-temperature model, which is derived in an attempt to extend the range of the temperature model to lower values of incident flux, is found to be invalid. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1976
Accession Number
ADA034034

Entities

People

  • David A. Kloc

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Boltzmann Equation
  • Distribution Functions
  • Electron Density
  • Electron Energy
  • Electrons
  • Energy
  • Energy Transfer
  • Equations
  • Fluid Flow
  • Free Electrons
  • Frequency
  • Gas Breakdown
  • Ground State
  • Ionization
  • Laser Targets
  • Radiation

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Molecular Photonics/Laser Physics
  • Plasma Physics / Magnetohydrodynamics
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Directed Energy - Lasers
  • Microelectronics
  • Quantum Computing