Relaxation of gaseous perturbations after evaporation of metals by nanosecond laser pulses

Optical methods were used in an investigation of the processes occurring in air after evaporation of metals by 60-ns laser pulses. An empirical expression was obtained for the time dependence of the coordinate of the front of a shock wave, which was valid in a wide range of time intervals. Slow relaxation of gasdynamic perturbations near an irradiated target was observed. Systems of molecular bands of compounds formed from the target material reacting with air oxygen were observed in the spectrum of a vapor jet.