The material emitted from a target surface during laser ablation generates a net thrust (propulsion) in the opposite direction. The momentum generation efficiency of this laser-driven propulsion is given by the mechanical coupling coefficient (m). In this work, we considered nanosecond UV laser ablation of the aluminum 6061 alloy to study the m behavior with different irradiating conditions. This is done by systematically changing fluence, uniform/nonuniform intensity, and incident angle of the laser beam. In particular, we found that when dealing with nonuniform laser intensity, characterizing m exclusively in terms of fluence is not fully satisfactory because the energy distribution over the irradiated area plays a key role in the way material is removed—interplay between vaporization and phase explosion—and thrust is generated.

Evaluation of the role of beam homogeneity on the mechanical coupling of laser-ablation-generated impulse / Terragni, Jacopo; Battocchio, Pietro; Bazzanella, Nicola; Orlandi, Michele; Burger, William J.; Battiston, Roberto; Miotello, Antonio. - In: APPLIED OPTICS. - ISSN 1559-128X. - ELETTRONICO. - 60:31(2021), pp. 37-44. [10.1364/AO.432991]

Evaluation of the role of beam homogeneity on the mechanical coupling of laser-ablation-generated impulse

Jacopo Terragni;Pietro Battocchio;Nicola Bazzanella;Michele Orlandi;William J. Burger;Roberto Battiston;Antonio Miotello
2021-01-01

Abstract

The material emitted from a target surface during laser ablation generates a net thrust (propulsion) in the opposite direction. The momentum generation efficiency of this laser-driven propulsion is given by the mechanical coupling coefficient (m). In this work, we considered nanosecond UV laser ablation of the aluminum 6061 alloy to study the m behavior with different irradiating conditions. This is done by systematically changing fluence, uniform/nonuniform intensity, and incident angle of the laser beam. In particular, we found that when dealing with nonuniform laser intensity, characterizing m exclusively in terms of fluence is not fully satisfactory because the energy distribution over the irradiated area plays a key role in the way material is removed—interplay between vaporization and phase explosion—and thrust is generated.
2021
31
Terragni, Jacopo; Battocchio, Pietro; Bazzanella, Nicola; Orlandi, Michele; Burger, William J.; Battiston, Roberto; Miotello, Antonio
Evaluation of the role of beam homogeneity on the mechanical coupling of laser-ablation-generated impulse / Terragni, Jacopo; Battocchio, Pietro; Bazzanella, Nicola; Orlandi, Michele; Burger, William J.; Battiston, Roberto; Miotello, Antonio. - In: APPLIED OPTICS. - ISSN 1559-128X. - ELETTRONICO. - 60:31(2021), pp. 37-44. [10.1364/AO.432991]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11572/325798
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