Quasisteady-state model of a laser corona of spherical and cylindrical targets

An analysis is made of a model of a quasisteady-state corona at spherical and cylindrical laser targets allowing for electron thermal conduction and assuming energy release concentrated in a critical layer. Numerical calculations are used to obtain density, velocity, and plasma temperature distributions as a function of the laser pulse (power density, wavelength) and target characteristics (radius, thermophysical properties). Approximate relationships are found for various corona parameters in both geometries.