Visualization of Plasma Produced in a Laser Beam and Gas Jet Interaction

레이저와 질소가스 상호충돌로부터 발생되는 플라스마 가시화

In the current study, characteristics of the laser-induced plasma were investigated in a gas filled chamber or in a gas jet by using a relatively low intensity laser $(I\;\leq\;5\;\times\;10^{12}\;W/cm^2)$. Temporal evolutions of the produced plasma were measured using the shadow visualization and the shock wave propagation as well as the electron density profiles in the plasma channel was measured using the Mach-Zehnder interferometry. Experimental results such as the structure of the produced plasma, shock propagation speed $(V_s)$, electron density profiles $(n_e)$, and the electron temperature $(T_e)$ are discussed in this study. Since the diagnostic laser pulse occurs over short time intervals compared to the hydrodynamic time scales of expanding plasma or a gas jet, all the transient motion occurring during the measurement is assumed to be essentially frozen. Therefore, temporally well-resolved quantitative measurements were possible in this study.