Local thermodynamic equilibrium in a laser-induced plasma channel formed by interaction of femtosecond laser radiation with argon

Abstract

In this paper, we estimate the possibility of applying local thermodynamic equilibrium conditions for a laser-induced plasma channel formed by femtosecond laser radiation in an argon medium at different pressures. The presence of a local thermodynamic equilibrium was determined on the basis of the time of heat exchange of electrons with argon atoms. The Saha equation is used to estimate the concentration of free electrons, the temperature of the laser-induced plasma channel, and its conductivity. A necessary condition for using this ratio was the presence of a state of local thermodynamic equilibrium in the plasma under study.