Experimental research on plasma induced by TEA CO2 laser propulsion

Results in the air-breathing propulsion experiments with a parabolic light craft and a self-made UV-preionized 100 J TEA CO(2) laser device are presented. Air disturbance and the spectrum of the plasma after the interaction of pulsed laser radiation with the light craft were studied. It was found that the focal length of the parabolic light craft had a significant effect on the air-disturbance. Two shock waves were detected for the longer focal length, while only one shock wave detected for the short focal length. The spectrum of the laser-induced plasma, the distribution of the characteristic lines, and the temporal behaviors of the air plasma were studied in detail. The results showed that, the evolution of the laser-induced plasma lasted 20 mu s, and the plasma spectrum would reach the maximum intensity at 7 mu s.