The role of quantum effects in gas breakdown by laser radiation
Abstract
Avalanche ionization of a gas upon exposure to an optical pulse is studied theoretically. A nonmonotonic dependence of the optical breakdown threshold on the radiation frequency is shown to be related to the quantum character of electron energy variations in the wave field. It is found that a sharp reduction in threshold in the UV region is connected with the high probability of electron penetration into the ionization region. The theory is compared with experiments on the breakdown of inert gases.
- Publication:
-
Kvantovaia Elektronika Moscow
- Pub Date:
- October 1989
- Bibcode:
- 1989KvanE..16.2127K
- Keywords:
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- Gas Ionization;
- Laser Beams;
- Quantum Optics;
- Ultraviolet Lasers;
- Atomic Energy Levels;
- Electron Distribution;
- Kinetic Equations;
- Rare Gases;
- Ultraviolet Spectra;
- Lasers and Masers