The transient behavior of the cw laser produced melt layer when subjected to an over‐pressure/impulse has been analyzed. Results show that the over‐pressure and impulse required for significant melt removal by individual microsecond laser pulses are very high (≳103atm and ≳104dyn sec/cm2, respectively) and melt removal by such pulses is unlikely to be achieved in practice. The quasi‐steady‐state melt removal resulting from long‐duration over‐pressure produced either by single long‐duration pulses (≳100 &mgr;sec), by high repetition rate pulses or by the cw laser itself has also been analyzed, with results indicating the possible practical operating regimes for such a mechanism.