Ring whirl radiative structures after laser breakdown in noble gases

It was found experimentally that after breakdown of Q-switched Nd-YAG laser beam in noble gases the toroidal radiative formations shaped from initial spherical region of hot luminous gas. Schlieren and interferometric examinations reveal the existence of nonuniformity in energy input at early spark stage and following formation of the whirl ring structure after the produced shock wave has gone away. The results of numerical modelling of gas dynamical flow arising in Ar after inhomogeneous energy input imitating laser breakdown in real conditions are in qualitative agreement with the observed picture.