Numerical analysis of electrical breakdown induced by laser irradiation in n₂/o₂ gas mixture

This paper presents a theoretical investigation on the electrical breakdown process of air induced by intense pulsed laser beams. We develop a computer simulation model including both the Boltzmann equation and the rate equations. The calculations are performed for different laser wavelengths of 308 nm (XeCl), 694 nm (ruby), 1.06 μm (YAG) and 10.6 /μm (CO₂). The result on the laser wavelengths is qualitatively consistent with the experimental result. The laser-induced breakdown process is discussed in detail.