Abstract

We prove that Maxwell’s equations for a deformable medium and the hydrodynamic equations together admit a self-similar set of solutions, under the assumption of spherical symmetry. As an example, we use our self-similar equations to study the motion of vapor expelled by a water droplet which is being heated by a high energy laser beam.¹ We predict a vapor blowoff at high laser energies that depend on the optical properties of the aerosol. We shall attempt a qualitative comparison with the experimental results² of Chang’s group at Yale.

© 1986 Optical Society of America