Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2011
The three-dimensional hydrodynamics of laser-induced, steady state vaporization of aluminum (2024) in vacuim was investigated with the aid of both a hydrodynamic computer code and a Mach-Zender interferometer. Provided the laser beam is sufficiently intense, a vapor plasma forms, resulting in a sustained region of high pressure near the target. The pressure is distributed asymmetrically over the footprint in the case of oblique incidence.