Influence of air pressure on mechanical effect of laser plasma shock wave

The influence of air pressure on mechanical effect of laser plasma shock wave in a vacuum chamber produced by a Nd:YAG laser has been studied. The laser pulses with pulse width of 10ns and pulse energy of about 320mJ at 1.06\mu m wavelength is focused on the aluminium target mounted on a ballistic pendulum, and the air pressure in the chamber changes from 2.8\times 10^3 to 1.01\times 10^5 Pa. The experimental results show that the impulse coupling coefficient changes as the air pressure and the distance of the target from focus change. The mechanical effects of the plasma shock wave on the target are analysed at different distances from focus and the air pressure.