Laser spark obtained by using a conical optics is much more appropriate to form conducting channels in atmosphere. Only two types of lasers are actively considered to be used in forming high-conductivity channels in a...Laser spark obtained by using a conical optics is much more appropriate to form conducting channels in atmosphere. Only two types of lasers are actively considered to be used in forming high-conductivity channels in atmosphere, controlled by laser spark: pulsed sub-microsecond gas and chemical lasers (CO2, DF (deuterium fluoride)), short pulse solid-state and UV (ultraviolet) lasers. Main advantage of short pulse lasers is their ability in forming of super long ionized channels with a characteristic diameter of- 100 mm in atmosphere along the beam propagation direction. At estimated electron densities below 1,016 cm3 in these filaments and laser wavelengths in the range of 0.5-1.0 mm, the plasma barely absorbs laser radiation. In this case, the length of the track composed of many filaments is determined by the laser intensity and may reach many kilometers at a femtosecond pulse energy of-100 mJ. However, these lasers could not be used to form high-conductivity long channels in atmosphere. The ohmic resistance of this type a conducting channels turned out to be very high, and the gas in the channels could not be strongly heated (〈 1 J). An electric breakdown controlled by radiation of femtosecond solid-state laser was implemented in only at a length of 3 m with a voltage of 2 MV across the discharge gap (670 kV/m). Not so long ago scientific group from P.N. Lebedev physical institute has improved that result, the discharge gap (-1m) had been broken under KrF laser irradiation when switching high-voltage (up to 390 kV/m) electric discharge by 100-ns UV pulses. Our previous result -16 m long conducting channel controlled by a laser spark at the voltage -3 MV was obtained more than 20 years ago in Russia and Japan by using pulsed CO2 laser with energy -0.5 kJ. An average electric field strength was 〈 190 kV/m. It is still too much for efficient applications.展开更多
文摘Laser spark obtained by using a conical optics is much more appropriate to form conducting channels in atmosphere. Only two types of lasers are actively considered to be used in forming high-conductivity channels in atmosphere, controlled by laser spark: pulsed sub-microsecond gas and chemical lasers (CO2, DF (deuterium fluoride)), short pulse solid-state and UV (ultraviolet) lasers. Main advantage of short pulse lasers is their ability in forming of super long ionized channels with a characteristic diameter of- 100 mm in atmosphere along the beam propagation direction. At estimated electron densities below 1,016 cm3 in these filaments and laser wavelengths in the range of 0.5-1.0 mm, the plasma barely absorbs laser radiation. In this case, the length of the track composed of many filaments is determined by the laser intensity and may reach many kilometers at a femtosecond pulse energy of-100 mJ. However, these lasers could not be used to form high-conductivity long channels in atmosphere. The ohmic resistance of this type a conducting channels turned out to be very high, and the gas in the channels could not be strongly heated (〈 1 J). An electric breakdown controlled by radiation of femtosecond solid-state laser was implemented in only at a length of 3 m with a voltage of 2 MV across the discharge gap (670 kV/m). Not so long ago scientific group from P.N. Lebedev physical institute has improved that result, the discharge gap (-1m) had been broken under KrF laser irradiation when switching high-voltage (up to 390 kV/m) electric discharge by 100-ns UV pulses. Our previous result -16 m long conducting channel controlled by a laser spark at the voltage -3 MV was obtained more than 20 years ago in Russia and Japan by using pulsed CO2 laser with energy -0.5 kJ. An average electric field strength was 〈 190 kV/m. It is still too much for efficient applications.