Gasdynamical studies of laser generated plasmas using a ballistic pendulum

Abstract

Gasdynamical studies on plasma plumes generated during pulsed laser ablation of solid targets continue to be of interest to improve the understanding of the adiabatic expansion of the ablated material into a (rarefied) background gas. For example, experimental reports in the field of pulsed laser deposition including Schlieren imaging, time-of-flight spectroscopy and ion probe measurements have elucidated the dynamic behaviour of plasma plume. In this paper an alternative approach will be taken to study the gasdynamical properties of the plasma plume by measuring the recoil impulse transferred onto the solid target using a ballistic pendulum.