Numerical simulation of air-breathing mode laser propulsion by nanosecond laser pulse

摘要

Based on Navier-Stokes equations, numerical simulations of air-breathing mode laser propulsion by nanosecond laser pulse are carried out. An analytical model of the thruster's inner flow involving the simple processing of the ignition zone is established. The evolvement of the laser sustained plasma Shockwaves is systemic analyzed; also the effects of pulse energy and thruster's structure such as focal length, scale and open angle on propulsion performance are researched. The simulated results show that the focal length dominates among the structural factors of thruster in the propulsion by nanosecond laser pulse. The larger focal length leads to better propulsion performance. It is also evident that for single pulse propulsion, nanosecond laser pulse is better than microsecond laser pulse, the momentum coupling efficient achieved by the former is 2～5 times of the latter's, which is highly agree with the existing experimental results .