Question

high-power lasers are used to compress gas plasmas by radiation pressure. the reflectivity of a plasma is unity if the electron density is high enough. a laser generating pulses of radiation of peak power 1.5 gw is focused onto 1.3 mm of high-electron-density plasma. find the pressure exerted on the plasma.

Answer 1

The pressure exerted on the high-electron-density plasma by the laser can be calculated using the formula Pressure = Power/Area. Given the peak power of 1.5 GW and the area of the plasma, the pressure is approximately 1128.82 GW/mm^2.

Step-by-step explanation:

The pressure exerted on the plasma can be calculated using the formula:

Pressure = Power/Area.

Given that the laser generates pulses of radiation with a peak power of 1.5 GW and is focused onto 1.3 mm of high-electron-density plasma, we can calculate the area using the formula:

Area = π * r^2, where r is the radius of the plasma.

Since the diameter of the plasma is 1.3 mm, the radius would be half of that.

Therefore, r = 0.65 mm.

After substituting the values into the formula, we get:

Area = π * (0.65 mm)^2

= 0.00133 mm^2.

Now, we can calculate the pressure:

Pressure = (1.5 GW) / (0.00133 mm^2)

= 1128.82 GW/mm^2.

Therefore, the pressure exerted on the plasma is approximately 1128.82 GW/mm^2.