Multi-use laser impulse pendulum and laser propulsion parameters measurement

In order to investigate the mechanisms of both the air-breathing and the ablation modes of laser propulsion under laboratory conditions, a multi-use laser impulse pendulum (MULIP) is developed. The measurable impulse range is from 1.0×10-4 to 3.8×10-3 N·s. The experimental calibration data agree well with the theoretical calculated data. With MULIP, the ablation mode has been performed, in which a high power pulsed Nd:glass laser (λ= 1.06μm, τ=20 ns) and a gray PVC film sample are used. The experimental results show that the maximum momentum coupling coefficient Cm is 7.73×10-5 N/W, and the maximum specific impulse Isp is 208.6 s.