Abstract
THERE has been much interest in the recently reported1–4 ionization and breakdown in gases induced by the focused output (∼ 20 MW) of Q-switched lasers. A puzzling feature of the phenomenon is the occurrence5,6 of distinct collinear regions of intense ionization along the laser beam axis near the focal point of the short focal length lenses commonly used in this work. There seems to be no satisfactory explanation of the mechanism producing these quite distinct regions. Considerations based on the development of a radiation supported shock wave7 or travelling ionization waves8 seem to be more appropriate to the later stages of breakdown when the local ionized regions coalesce to form a long spark which appears to be moving. The separate regions of ionization suggest that the spatial distribution of the electric field needed for ionization and created by the focused laser beam has regions of maximum and minimum intensities along the beam axis.
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EVANS, L., MORGAN, C. Multiple Collinear Laser-produced Sparks in Gases. Nature 219, 712–713 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/219712b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/219712b0
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