UC San Diego

The dynamics and confinement of laser generated Carbon plumes expanding across a transverse magnetic field have been investigated. 1.06-mu m, 8-ns pulses from an Nd:YAG laser were used to create a plasma that was allowed to expand across a 0.64-T magnetic field. Fast photography employing an intensified charged-coupled device was used for two-dimensional imaging of the plume. Photographic studies showed the collapse of the ablation plume after the bubble lifetime, and formation of two lobes near the target surface at later times.