Visualization of jet development in laser-induced plasmas

Laser-induced plasmas in gases are known to generate gaseous jets in the postplasma gas plume. The gaseous jet typically develops toward the laser source, and the experiments presented here show, for the first time to our knowledge, that, under certain conditions, these jets can develop in the opposite direction or may not form at all. The data suggest that this is related to the ratio between the energy absorbed in the plasma and the threshold breakdown energy, effectively leading to multiple plasma initiation sites in the focal waist.