Abstract
A laser propulsion system is expected to be one of the most hopeful next-generation space propulsion systems. In this system, Laser-Supported Plasma (LSP) is an essential phenomenon, because laser energy is mainly absorbed by a hot plasma and then converted into the kinetic energy for propulsion. In this paper, I introduce the analysis model and the calculation methods which I have formulated for numerically simulations on the Laser-Supported Detonation (LSD), which is categorized as one type of LSP, propagating through an inert gas at a room temperature. As a typical geometric model to realize laser propulsion, a conical nozzle, which simplifies the inside of laser propulsion system, is applied. In this analysis, the numerical methods for thermal non-equilibrium plasma flows solved by axisymmetric two dimensional Navier-Stokes equations coupled with laser absorption model, are studied.
