Mechanism of plasma generation under focused beam effect on metallic surface in laser welding

Abstract

Numerical modeling of the process of thermal ionization associated with the interaction of laser radiation and metal target was performed and the temperature dynamics and the plasma absorptance were obtained. Threshold values of temperature for the appearance of the thermal instability and near-surface optical plasma generation have been derived. The processes in near-surface laser induced plasma in specific conditions of laser welding are under consideration.