Optical breakdown of helium in Bessel laser radiation beams

Journal Article · Sat Oct 31 00:00:00 EST 1998 · Quantum Electronics (Woodbury, N.Y.)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1070/QE1998V028N10ABEH001354· OSTI ID:21435927

Andreev, N E; Pleshanov, I V ^[1]; Margolin, L Ya; Pyatnitskii, Lev N ^[2]

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1. High Energy Density Research Center at the Institute of High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation)
2. Scientific Association for High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation)

Numerical simulation is used to investigate the dynamics of formation of a helium plasma in Bessel beams, shaped by an axicon and a phase converter from a laser radiation pulse with Gaussian temporal and radial intensity profiles. The beam intensities at the breakdown threshold are determined as a function of the pulse duration for various radial field distributions in a beam characterised by Bessel functions of order m (m = 0 - 5). It is shown that in the investigated range of parameters the threshold intensity is independent of m. The temporal and spatial evolution of the resultant plasma, and the dependence of the plasma characteristics on the pulse parameters are considered. Conditions are found for the formation of tubular plasma channels in beams of orders m{>=}1. The adopted model of the optical breakdown of helium is shown to be satisfactory because of a good agreement between the results of calculations of the moment of breakdown in a zeroth-order Bessel beam and experimental results. (interaction of laser radiation with matter. laser plasma)

• OSTI ID: 21435927
• Journal Information: Quantum Electronics (Woodbury, N.Y.), Vol. 28, Issue 10; Other Information: DOI: 10.1070/QE1998v028n10ABEH001354; ISSN 1063-7818
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
BESSEL FUNCTIONS
BREAKDOWN
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
HELIUM
LASER RADIATION
PHOTON BEAMS
PLASMA
PULSES
BEAMS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
FUNCTIONS
GASES
NONMETALS
RADIATIONS
RARE GASES
SIMULATION