Optical breakdown in an erosion jet

An experimental investigation of the optical breakdown of erosion jets formed from various materials (C, Al₂O₃, SiO₂, etc.) showed that in the advanced evaporation stage a dense erosion jet broke down by interaction with CO₂ laser radiation only at power densities of S ≈ 15–30 MW/cm². When the radiation pulses with a fairly slowly rising leading edge were used so that the interaction was "soft", the gas surrounding the target did not break down because it was displaced by the newly formed vapor from the focusing zone.