Numerical and experimental study of a micro-blast wave generated by pulsed-laser beam focusing

This paper describes a numerical and experimental study of a micro-blast wa ve which is produced from the source of several tens microns in dia. and pr opagates in the length scale of a few centimeter in diameter. The micro-bla st wave was generated by focusing a Nd:Glass pulsed-laser beam in ambient a ir. Its propagation and reflection were visualized by using double exposure holographic interferometry and simulated numerically using the dispersion- controlled scheme to solve the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations with initi al conditions of a point-source explosion specified with the Taylor similar ity law. Good agreement was obtained between numerical solutions and experi mental results, and this spherical microblast wave was shown to be a handy model of blast waves created in large scale explosions.