Abstract
Blackbody emission from ejecta following KrF‐laser irradiation of YBa2Cu3O7−x (YBCO) and BN targets in vacuum has been observed for the first time using intensified charge‐coupled‐device (CCD) photography and gated photon counting. Temporally resolved emission spectra from particulates up to 2 cm from the target and from 10 μs to 1.5 ms after the laser pulse are attributed to blackbody radiation. The spectra are used to estimate temperatures between 2200 and 3200 K for ejecta from both BN and YBCO when irradiated at Φ248=3.5 J and 1.5 J cm−2, respectively. The measured cooling of the particles in vacuum is compared to a radiative cooling model.