Optical strength of weakly absorbing drops in intense light fields

The paper considers possible mechanisms for the destruction (vaporization) of weakly absorbing water drops in intense laser radiation fields. Consideration is given to the effects of such processes as optical breakdown and stimulated Mandelstam-Brillouin scattering on drop vaporization parameters and to the effect of nonuniformity of optical field distribution in drops with radii up to 60 microns. It is shown that the most likely mechanism of drop destruction is superheating at strength-maxima points of the optical field.