In order to know more about the mechanism of laser propulsion, the temporal evolvement and spatial distribution of the
air plasma produced by a Transversely Excited Atmospheric (TEA) pressure CO2 laser were investigated with a image
intensified charged coupled device (ICCD) camera. The energy of the TEA CO2 laser was 5 ~ 6 J, with pulse FWHM of
100 ns at 10.6 μm, trailing approximately 2 μs. The experimental results indicated that the radial evolution was almost
symmetrical but the axial evolution was not. During the development stage of the breakdown, the laser-absorption region
was propagated along the beam axis in the direction opposite beam incidence. The axial length of plasma and the
maximal intensity of the laser-induced plasma were investigated, which could vary with the laser power. The
propagation speed of the laser-induced plasma was about 104 m/s at the initial stage of breakdown, and then the
propagation speed of the laser-induced plasma decreased gradually.
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