Studies of the optical properties of laser plasmas produced by irradiating spherical targets

Results are presented from studies of the spectral characteristics of a glowing plasma object that forms behind a shock wave propagating in a background gas at a pressure of 1 Torr after laser irradiation of a spherical organic target in the MKV-4 device (a component of the Iskra-5 facility). The experimental data are compared to the results of calculations.