Modeling of the Free-Surface Shape in Laser Cutting of Metals. 1. Effect of Polarization of the Gaussian Beam on the Shape of the Surface Formed

A three-dimensional problem of describing the shape of a surface formed owing to interaction of laser radiation with a substance in processes of laser cutting of metals is considered. The effect of radiation polarization (linear, elliptic, and circular) on the absorption factor is analyzed. For calculating the latter, a generalized formula is proposed, which takes into account the spatial orientation of the plane of incidence of radiation. The influence of laser-radiation parameters on the surface shape and cut depth is studied numerically. In the case of generation of a beam with the TEM00 mode, it is shown that the use of elliptic polarization of radiation with a certain ratio of semi-axes, aligned with the beam direction, is preferable.