-Plasma can be produced when a laser ionizes gas molecules in a medium -Normally, ordinary gases are transparent to electromagnetic radiation. Why then is it possible for lasers to produce plasma out of thin air?

-Several parameters effect the ability of a laser to form plasma, including the pressure of the medium gas, the intensity of the laser itself, what type of gas is within the medium, The electron density within the medium, the length of the pulsed laser, the frequency of the laser and frequency of pulsation, as well as the diameter of the beam. -Lower pressures as well as the ability for the material to conduct electricity help with the plasma forming process, so metals such as Tin are often used within a vacuum, for its conductive properties and low vapor pressure. The extremely low pressure can be maintained while the metal is turned into a vapor. -The threshold of the plasma tends to decrease with an increase in either the duration of the laser pulse as well as an increase in laser frequency. A longer duration of the laser light as well as a higher frequency of the light itself allows for more energy to be dumped into the medium, causing more ionization. -Scientists would also focus the beam down to a point to increase the intensity per unit area passed a point called ignition intensity; when plasma formation can take place. Ignition intensity must be surpassed or no interaction shall take place.

-Inverse free-free absorption. Where the electrons will absorb the laser radiation and turn that energy into kinetic energy. This process can create hot plasma, where the system is in thermal equilibrium due to electrons colliding with ions and transferring energy to them. -When the electric field produced by the laser becomes large enough, the field will decrease the potential barrier that is keeping the electron within the atom enough that the electron can escape. This process is called Tunnel Ionization. -When the electron absorbs numerous photons, it can surpass the ionization energy level needed in a process called Multi-Photon Ionization. This of course depends on the material and the wavelength used. -After the plasma is created, electrons will transfer their thermal energy into kinetic energy. This will cause the plasma to expand and thus cool. This expansion will create a shockwave that travels at supersonic speeds. -The E field and B field within the plasma is a combination of the electric field and magnetic field the laser and other outside sources would impose as well as the resulting electric and magnetic field from the motions of the electrons after excitation.

-Non-optimal laser coupling with the medium will result in an incomplete ionization process and the production of aerosol made from the target called “Debris”. The debris is scattered by the shock wave of the laser hitting the target as well as during evaporation and can coat the mirrors within the machine and reduce reflectivity. -To reduce the production of debris, liquid sources can be used however the absorption coefficient is density dependant and with the lower density, the laser must be more intense to surpass the ignition intensity. -Misalignments of the laser system can cause the laser to miss the target, leading to no ionization and the possibility to cause damage to the components which leads to lost time while components are ordered and swapped out. -The Plasma will expand and cool rapidly, thus the ionization process will quickly dissipate through the recombination process unless the system is constantly pumped with energy.

-Ultra Violet Lithography: This is a process where the plasma, which is produced by lasers, is harnessed and used to etch into silicon wafers to make processors. A process called Extreme Ultra Violet Lithography is currently under way which would allow smaller etches to be made and therefore more powerful processors. -Laser produced plasma is a key element in Inertial Confinement Fusion, or the process of initiating nuclear fusion through heating and compressing a target. The surface of the target is heated into a plasma which then radiates X-rays to heat the rest of the target. The shockwave created by the plasma fuel the compression process of the target. -Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy is a technique commonly used to analyze the presence of heavy metals within soil. The laser heats the metals within the dirt into a plasma and the emission from the plasma is measured. This emission is characteristic of the elements and can be used to find the composition of the ground.

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