Numerical study of water-confinement geometries for laser propulsion

作者：Han, Bing; Shen, Zhong-Hua; Lu, Jian; Ni, Xiao-Wu^*

来源：Optics and Lasers in Engineering, 2010, 48(10): 950-957.

DOI：10.1016/j.optlaseng.2010.05.013

• Laser propulsion
• Water
• Confinement
• Bubble formation

The processes of laser propulsion in a water environment are investigated numerically in this paper Four kinds of propelled surfaces are discussed: a plane, a hemispherical shell, a 90 degrees-conical shell and a 30 degrees-conical shell The bubble radius and the velocity of the bubble surface varying with time during the first-expansion of the bubble are investigated The evolution of the shock wave induced pressure field around the pressure peak on the surface and the evolution of the velocity field of the liquid jet are discussed The energy that the propelled surface obtains from the first-expansion of the bubble is enhanced by the three kinds of shapes except the plane, among which the 90 degrees-conical shell produces the most effective propulsion During the final collapse of the bubble, the plane propelled surface obtains the most energy, while the 30 degrees-conical shell obtains the least. The narrower the propelled surface, the higher the proportion of the energy offered by the plasma-bubble shock wave. But the propulsion efficiency declines as the propelled surface becomes narrower. The momentum coupling coefficient of the hemispherical shell is the highest.

• 出版日期2010-10
• 单位南京理工大学