Correlation between Front Speed and Initial Explosion Energy of the Blast Wave Induced by a TEA CO2 Laser

A TEA (Transversely Excited Atomospheric-pressure) CO2 laser beam has been focused on several metals such as Zn, Pb, Ag and Sn-Pb compounds at reduced ambient gas pressure. It is shown that the radius of the expanding luminous front of the laser induced secondary plasma is proportional to one-fifth power of the intensity of the primary plasma. The radius of the luminous front is equal for different metals. From these results, it is concluded that the primary plasma is the source of a blast wave and the secondary plasma is excited by it.