Investigation of Generating Conditions of Fiber Laser-Sustained Plasma using Argon

Laser sustained plasma (LSP) is a heat source for laser propulsion. A diode laser is suitable for a laser thruster because the energy conversion efficiency is high and the lifetime is long. In a previous study, the LSPs were successfully generated using argon gas. However, because the intensity of the laser beam cannot be increased due to the problem of the focusing performance, the pressure and the laser power required to generate the LSPs become high. In this study, we investigate the conditions of generating the LSPs using a fiber laser that the focusing performance is superior.