Abstract

An understanding of energy transport mechanisms is crucial to describing short pulse laser plasma interactions. On progressively longer time scales, electron thermal conduction, hydrodynamic expansion and shock wave propagation are thought to be the principle means by which deposited laser energy leaves the interaction region. Here we report the first observation of a supersonic ionisation front that is faster than any seen so far [1]. This can be explained by a radiative thermal conduction mechanism.

© 1997 Optical Society of America