Effect of laser wavelength on ablation propulsion and plasma characteristics with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene target

Abstract Propulsion performance produced by laser ablation of polymer made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is experimentally investigated using the first, second, and third harmonics of a Nd: YAG laser. A ballistic pendulum is employed to assess the impulse and coupling coefficient for laser propulsion application. Fast photography, target ablation, and optical emission spectroscopy are proposed to analyze the energy coupling characteristic. The impulse and coupling coefficient under different pressures are demonstrated to depend on the target ablation and plasma properties which are relevant to laser wavelength. As the laser wavelength decreases, the crater depth and ablation mass are enhanced. Meanwhile, the plasma plume separates at atmospheric pressure and its length extends continuously in the low-pressure range. As a result, plasma including more ejected particles with higher velocity contributes to obtaining excellent impulse and coupling coefficient. In addition, the decreased electron density and temperature indicate higher collision frequency and photoionization dominate rather than inverse bremsstrahlung absorption at shorter laser wavelengths. This work provides a better understanding of the energy conversion mechanism and a reference for improving propulsion performance.