Shock physics and shadowgraphic measurements of laser-produced cerium plasmas

Shadowgraphic measurements are combined with theory on gas-dynamics to in-vestigate the shock physics associated with nanosecond laser ablation of cerium metal targets. Time-resolved shadowgraphic imaging is performed to measure the propagation and attenuation of the laser-induced shockwave through air and argon atmospheres at various background pressures, where stronger shockwaves characterized by higher propagation velocities are observed for higher ablation laser irradiances and lower pressures. The Rankine-Hugoniot relations are also employed to estimate the pressure, temperature, density, and flow velocity of the shock-heated gas located immediately behind the shock front, predicting larger pressure ratios and higher temperatures for stronger laser-induced shockwaves.& COPY; 2023 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement

Automated summary

Shadowgraphic measurements combined with gas-dynamics theory are used to investigate the physics of shockwaves generated by nanosecond laser ablation of cerium metal targets. Time-resolved shadowgraphic imaging is employed to measure the propagation and attenuation of the laser-induced shockwave through air and argon atmospheres at different background pressures. The Rankine-Hugoniot relations are also used to estimate the properties of the shock-heated gas behind the shock front.