Experimental Investigation of Repetitive Femtosecond Laser Energy Deposition in a M=3 Supersonic Airflow

International audienceA picosecond 200-mJ pulsed laser operating at 1 kHz is used to create large aspect ratio heated channels in front of a blunted test model in a M=3 flow. The energy deposition induces a significant disturbance of the flow and large fluctuations of the drag signal. The heated region extends over 50-80 mm upstream of the test item. For this given repetition rate, the raw drag balance signal shows no significant decrease in the averaged drag, which could be due to the vibration induced by the fluctuating drag on the mechanical system