The Optical Breakdown of Gases and Metal Vapours by Means of Quantum Generators

Abstract

The studying of electrical breakdown of gaseous, liquid and solid materials has represented hitherto several independent fields of research, with quite elaborated theories and their specific conditions. By the appearance of quantum generators and bright energy sources (by their specific conditions and effects) another time scale of breakdown interval appeared, other frequencies of electromagnetic waves by which the breakdown was made (the data on ∼ 1017 W/cm2 sterrad are not scarce [1]). The extension of the limits within which operate quantum generators (both at the side of long and short waves) made both fields hitherto separated (conditionally said) unite. In this paper we shall consider only some of the basic criteria on the kind of optical breakdown. Since 1963 and since the beginning of first optical breakdowns the field became the topic of numerous world laboratories, of theoretical and practical derivations; later the contradictory results accelerated the development of both, as is usually the case. By the extension of these problems several applicative and nowadays provocative fields, such as: thermonuclear fusion, nuclear bombs, are even when we only “research” stimulated effects in other energy diapasons, for example stimulated effects in gamma domain [2].