Characteristics of plasma plume expansion from Al target induced by oblique incidence of 1064 and 355 nm nanosecond Nd : YAG laser

Abstract

Evolution of a plasma plume from an Al target ablated with a nanosecond 1064 and 355 nm laser respectively under oblique incidence in air is studied using the time-resolved shadowgraph imaging technique. The characteristics of plasma plume expansion with different focusing conditions (focal point on, ahead of and after the target surface) are experimentally investigated. Experimental results show that the evolution of the plasma plume is strongly influenced by air breakdown which occurs prior to the laser beam reaching the target. Without the occurrence of air breakdown, the temporal evolution of the Al plasma plume with both UV and IR ablation laser wavelengths shows the plume expansion with an ellipsoid-shaped plume front travelling mainly against the incoming laser beam due to the formation of a laser-supported detonation wave at the initial stage of laser ablation, and then the shape of the plume front turns into a sphere. Experimental results also show that a higher portion of the laser pulse energy reaches the target surface at UV laser wavelength than that of an IR laser due to the higher penetrating ability of the UV laser wavelength to the plasma.