CO2 laser heating of plasma columns in a steady solenoid field

A 250−J CO2 laser has been used to produce plasma columns 12−20 cm in length, 2−4 mm in diameter, from initially uniform neutral hydrogen in a steady solenoidal field up to 100 kG. Interferometric and spectroscopic measurements indicate densities and temperatures on the order of 100 eV and 5×1017 cm−3, respectively. The backward−going laser−driven wave normally present in laser breakdown has been eliminated by pulsed filling of the tube.