SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF LIGHT ATTENUATION AND TRANSMISSION BY PLASMAS INDUCED IN LIQUIDS BY NANOSECOND ND-YAG LASER-PULSES

The analysis of the spatial and temporal dynamics of plasmas induced in liquids by nanosecond laser pulses, based on a model of moving breakdown combined with a model of distributed shielding, is herein presented. Time- and space-resolved characteristics of energy absorption and transmission are evaluated with the aid of the two models, and compared to experimental findings available in the literature. In particular, energy absorbed per unit length and volume of the plasma column, time-resolved transmission, and energy input-output characteristics of the plasma, are considered. The dependence of the plasma attenuation of the focusing geometry is also discussed. The relevance of this analysis in relation to laser photodisruption is finally outlined.