TY - JOUR
T1 - Laser-matter interaction in the bulk of transparent dielectrics
T2 - Confined micro-explosion
AU - Gamaly, Eugene
AU - Luther-Davies, Barry
AU - Rode, Andrei
AU - Joudkazis, Saulius
AU - Misawa, Hiroki
AU - Hallo, Ludovic
AU - Nicolai, Philippe
AU - Tikhonchuk, Vladimir
PY - 2007/4/1
Y1 - 2007/4/1
N2 - We present here the experimental and theoretical studies of drastic transformations induced by a single powerful femtosecond laser pulse tightly focused inside a transparent dielectric, that lead to void formation in the bulk. We show that the laser pulse energy absorbed within a volume of less than 1μm3 creates the conditions with pressure and temperature range comparable to that formed by an exploding nuclear bomb. At the laser intensity above 6 × 1012 W/cm2 the material within this volume is rapidly atomized, ionized, and converted into a tiny super-hot cloud of expanding plasma. The expanding plasma generates strong shock and rarefaction waves which result in the formation of a void. Our modelling indicates that unique states of matter can be created using a standard table-top laser in well-controlled laboratory conditions. This state of matter has temperatures 105 K, heating rate up to the 1018 K/s, and pressure more than 100 times the strength of any solid. The laser-affected sites in the bulk were detected ("read") by generation of white continuum using probe femtosecond pulses at much lower laser intensity of 1010 W/cm 2 - 1011 W/cm2. Post-examination of voids with an electron microscope revealed a typical size of the void ranges from 200 to 500 nm. These studies will find application for the design of 3D optical memory devices and for formation of photonic band-gap crystals.
AB - We present here the experimental and theoretical studies of drastic transformations induced by a single powerful femtosecond laser pulse tightly focused inside a transparent dielectric, that lead to void formation in the bulk. We show that the laser pulse energy absorbed within a volume of less than 1μm3 creates the conditions with pressure and temperature range comparable to that formed by an exploding nuclear bomb. At the laser intensity above 6 × 1012 W/cm2 the material within this volume is rapidly atomized, ionized, and converted into a tiny super-hot cloud of expanding plasma. The expanding plasma generates strong shock and rarefaction waves which result in the formation of a void. Our modelling indicates that unique states of matter can be created using a standard table-top laser in well-controlled laboratory conditions. This state of matter has temperatures 105 K, heating rate up to the 1018 K/s, and pressure more than 100 times the strength of any solid. The laser-affected sites in the bulk were detected ("read") by generation of white continuum using probe femtosecond pulses at much lower laser intensity of 1010 W/cm 2 - 1011 W/cm2. Post-examination of voids with an electron microscope revealed a typical size of the void ranges from 200 to 500 nm. These studies will find application for the design of 3D optical memory devices and for formation of photonic band-gap crystals.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34547336462&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1088/1742-6596/59/1/002
DO - 10.1088/1742-6596/59/1/002
M3 - Article
SN - 1742-6588
VL - 59
SP - 5
EP - 10
JO - Journal of Physics: Conference Series
JF - Journal of Physics: Conference Series
IS - 1
M1 - 002
ER -