Abstract
Interaction of laser-produced target plasma with ambient gas is experimentally investigated. A plane target is irradiated by a focused or unfocused ruby laser beam. An increase of the plasma density observed at medium pressure of the order of 10-2 torr is ascribed to a reduction of plasma volume by the existence of surrounding gas. Further increase of the pressure results in a decrease of the plasma density, which is explained by scattering of the plasma particles. Also, the observed retardation of the target plasma may be caused by a friction with the ambient gas.
