Continuous laser-sustained plasmas
- 1 April 1973
- journal article
- conference paper
- Published by AIP Publishing in Journal of Applied Physics
- Vol. 44 (4) , 1727-1732
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1662439
Abstract
Continuous plasmas sustained by a focused high‐power CO2 laser are described. The power required for maintaining a cw plasma following preionization has been determined for Xe, Kr, and Ar, and attempted for Ne and He. Measurements indicate the noble gases with the lowest ionization potentials have the lowest sustaining thresholds. Radiative properties of some of the plasmas were studied with calorimetric techniques. Under certain conditions, more than half of the incident laser radiation can either be scattered or absorbed by the plasma. A major loss mechanism for the plasma is shown to be radiation in the visible and ultraviolet. Spectra of low‐pressure Xe plasmas indicate the presence of ultraviolet transitions with a high contrast over the continuum.This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- cw gas breakdown in argon using 10.6-μm laser radiationApplied Physics Letters, 1972
- Magnetic-Field-Dependent Breakdown of CO2-Laser-Produced PlasmaApplied Physics Letters, 1972
- Gas-Breakdown Dependence on Beam Size and Pulse Duration with 10.6-μ Wavelength RadiationApplied Physics Letters, 1971