Thermoelectric phenomena in the oxidization of vanadium by laser radiation

It is shown that when radiation from a cw CO₂ laser is used to oxidize vanadium in air, a large thermoelectric emf is generated in the oxide–metal system and it undergoes complex dynamic variations. The dynamics of this phenomenon results from oscillations in the spatial distribution of the target temperature and also from a variation in the spatial distribution of oxides possessing different stoichiometnc compositions.