Laser-driven shock waves in an aerosol-induced breakdown in air

Energy Deposition II: Physical Mechanisms Underlying Techniques to Achieve High-Speed Flow Control

“…In the case of a single ionized spot, a general elongation can result along the pulse path due to a variety of mechanisms associated with a laser-driven detonation wave, which propagates backward toward the laser (Hughes) 32 . This detonation wave can propagate at speeds of 10 5 m/sec (Bufetov et al 33 , Borghese et al 34 ., Sobral et al 35 , Vigliano et al 36 ), making it a candidate-method to create an extended hot path ahead of a vehicle. Unfortunately, we have only seen reports of relatively short paths (on the order of centimeters), which would, at best, only be good for applications much smaller than currently conceivable.…”