Experimental observation of laser-induced radiation heat waves

Abstract

The propagation of a radiation heat wave through a thin foil of solid gold was investigated experimentally. The wave is driven by the intense thermal radiation in 1--3-mm-diam gold cavities heated by an intense laser pulse (duration 0.8--0.9 ns, wavelength 0.35 \ensuremath{\mu}m) to temperatures of more than 200 eV. Evidence of the propagating wave was obtained from the delayed onset of intense thermal emission from the outer side of the foil. The results agree with theoretical predictions for a self-similar ablative heat wave and with numerical simulations.