2024 Volume 2 Article ID: 137
This experimental study was conducted to document an underexplored parameter space in laser propulsion. The research tested 12 solid elements for potential as laser ablation propulsion propellants, including Al, Bi, C (graphite), Cu, Fe, In, Mg, Ni, Si, Sn, Ti, and V. Digital single lens reflex (DSLR) photography captured laser ablation of these materials by an Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm wavelength and ~100 ms pulse duration. Each propellant was ablated across a range of fluences under high vacuum conditions (~10-2 Pa) in an effort to better understand the potential of each elemental propellant for vacuum laser propulsion. Laser-imparted impulse was calculated from measurements using a piezoelectric force sensor and areal mass removal was inferred from volumetric recordings using white light optical profilometry. The qualitative photographic results and quantitative measurement data were combined to build a better context for broadly characterizing and understanding the threshold fluence for laser ablation in the microsecond regime. Ablation threshold measurements were reported for each material.
