| The interaction of lasers with solids is of both fundamental and practical importance. This dissertation is a theoretical and experimental investigation of the physical and mathematical difficulties arising when laser intensity is very high ({dollar}sim{lcub}10{rcub}sp{lcub}10{rcub} {lcub}rm Wcm{rcub}sp{lcub}-2{rcub}){dollar} and the ambient medium surrounding the solid is nonideal.; Theoretically, the process is considered as a special case of a high flux microscale transport process. The analytical difficulties associated with this class of problems are discussed in detail. An empirically based Bayesian epistemology of engineering analysis is developed and compared to alternative perspectives in traditional philosophy of science. The difficulties associated with modeling microscale thermal processes are considered, and techniques from modern mathematics and physics are applied to thermal engineering problems in a novel manner. It is shown that the use of these tools within the philosophical framework developed previously allows consistent, credible inferences to be made regarding the evolution of the systems. Specifically, it is shown that this procedure maximizes the incorporation of empirical information into a predictive model.; The methodology is applied to the analysis of laser material interactions using copper targets in carbon dioxide, at ambient pressures ranging from 0.1 MPa to 8.0 MPa. Over this range of conditions the fluid varies from an ideal gas to a near-critical fluid. Significant morphological changes in the resulting crater are observed; these are explained in terms of the variation of thermal, mechanical, and radiative processes as conditions change.; The utility of the data based approach to analysis is also exhibited by consideration of the interpulse stability of the laser used. The possibility of investigating the phase space of the laser is discussed, and a diagnostic tool for evaluation of laser performance is presented. |
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