Electron density in a laser jet

Measurements of the density and velocity profiles are analyzed and the ion composition of the plasma in a laser jet is studied using far vacuum ultraviolet spectra of multiply charged ions. A hypothesis is put forward whereby a rarefaction (deflagration) jump is found in the vicinity of the critical point as a result of anomalously low values of the electron thermal conductivity. This hypothesis makes it possible to explain from a single viewpoint the low electron density in the corona, including the Jouguet point, the high electron temperature and low rate of evaporation of the target material, and also the discontinuity between the electron and ionization temperatures.