Numerical simulation of thermal blooming with laser-induced convection

ABSTRACT

High energy laser propagation through an absorbing fluid is examined via numerical simulation. In contrast to typical thermal blooming studies, both the laser and fluid dynamics are simulated. The beam propagation is modeled with the paraxial equation. The fluid medium is modeled with the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. The Boussinesq approximation is used to couple the temperature to density variations. In this context, the interplay between laser-induced convection and refraction is observed. The fluid is taken to be initially homogeneous and quiescent; scintillation due to background fluctuations is ignored.

KEYWORDS:

• Thermal blooming
• fluid dynamics
• laser
• numerical simulation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this work was provided in part by the Office of Naval Research, as part of the APHSELs program as well as by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under the program ‘Radial basis function for numerical simulation’.

Notes on contributors

Benjamin F. Akers

Benjamin F. Akers is an Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). His interest areas include numerical analysis, nonlinear waves, and mathematical modeling. He is an active member of the Center for Directed Energy at AFIT.

Jonah A. Reeger

Jonah A. Reeger is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the United States Naval Academy. He is an expert in numerical analysis, with interests in quadrature methods, radial basis function approximation, and numerical solution of differential equations.