Numerical and experimental study of a micro-blast wave generated by pulsed-laser beam focusing

Abstract.

This paper describes a numerical and experimental study of a micro-blast wave which is produced from the source of several tens microns in dia. and propagates in the length scale of a few centimeter in diameter. The micro-blast wave was generated by focusing a Nd:Glass pulsed-laser beam in ambient air. Its propagation and reflection were visualized by using double exposure holographic interferometry and simulated numerically using the dispersion-controlled scheme to solve the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations with initial conditions of a point-source explosion specified with the Taylor similarity law. Good agreement was obtained between numerical solutions and experimental results, and this spherical micro-blast wave was shown to be a handy model of blast waves created in large scale explosions.