A study of laser-generated plasmas and their application to high voltage engineering

This paper deals with an investigation into some of the phenomena resulting from the interaction of a high-intensity laser beam with a high electric field. This research provides a starting point for the extension of knowledge in the fields of high voltage and lightning research. The experiments presented involve triggering a spark gap by focusing a laser beam along the axis of the gap (coaxially) and in a direction perpendicular to the gap axis (orthogonally). The main aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of these two geometries. The experiments show that an orthogonal geometry is far more favourable than a coaxial one. It also transpires that a laser beam of good beam quality, small beam size and short time pulse produces better results. In other words, the spatial and temporal profile of a laser beam is a very important aspect that needs to be taken into account.