Pulsed IR laser ablation of organic polymers in air: shielding effects and plasma pipe formation

We report the effect of 'plasma pipe' formation on pulsed laser ablation of organic polymers in air under normal conditions. Ablation of polymers (PMMA, polyimide) is carried out in a wide range of CO2 laser fluences with special attention to plasma formation in the ablation products. Evolution of laser ablation plumes in air under different pressures is investigated with simultaneous registration of radiation spectra of the ablation products. An analysis based on thermo-chemical modelling is performed to elucidate the effects of laser light attenuation upon ablation, including plasma and chemical processes in a near-target space. The analysis has shown that the experimental observations of plume development in air can be explained by a combination of processes including formation of a pre-ionized channel along the laser beam propagation, laser-supported detonation wave and effective combustion of the polymer ablation products. A scenario of a streamer-like polymer plasma flow within an air plasma pipe created via laser-induced breakdown is proposed.