A numerical method based on the assumptions of Forester and Emery is used to study the oscillatory behaviour of the plume and of the thermal wave associated with a point plasma, sustained by continuous optical discharge of a c.w. laser. Computations are carried out to simulate conditions in argon at 4 atm and initially at room temperature. The numerical results explain or confirm many experimental features and generally quantitative agreement with experiment is good. Application of Kimura’s stability theory to the plume suggests aerodynamic instability as the origin of the oscillations. As for flames, these oscillations are associated with waves analogous to the Tollmien-Schlichting waves in laminar boundary layers.
Investigation of physical features and technological capabilities of continuous optical discharge
