Vaporization and explosion of water droplets on exposure to radiation with inhomogeneous internal heat evolution

An analysis is made of the vaporization and explosion of water droplets on exposure to λ = 10.6 μ continuous and pulsed radiation at intensities corresponding to gas-kinetic conditions. Allowance is made for the inhomogeneity of the internal heat evolution. Estimates are made of the influence of the radiation intensity, pulse profile, and droplet parameters on the time taken to achieve explosive vaporization and the required energy is determined.