Dynamics of femtosecond laser induced voidlike structures in fused silica

Alexandre Mermillod-Blondin (1, 2) , Jörn Bonse (1) , Arkadi Rosenfeld (1) , Ingolf V. Hertel (1) , Yuri P. Meshcheryakov (3) , Nadezhda M. Bulgakova (4) , Eric Audouard (2) , Razvan Stoian (2)

1 MBI - Max-Born-Institut für Nichtlineare Optik und Kurzzeitspektroskopie
2 LHC - Laboratoire Hubert Curien
3 IH - Institute of Hydrodynamics
4 ITP - Institute of Thermophysics

Focused ultrafast laser irradiation of fused silica usually induces a spatially modulated refractive index variation in the bulk material. Strong energy concentration leads to the localized formation of a lower-density cavitylike depressed structure surrounded by compacted matter. We report on applying time-resolved phase contrast microscopy to investigate the timescale of the void formation. We indicate a temporal behavior consistent with shock wave generation and subsequent rarefaction.

Mots clés: high-speed optical techniques; laser beam effects; refractive index; shock waves; voids (solid)

Domaines: Optique / photonique

Alexandre Mermillod-Blondin, Jörn Bonse, Arkadi Rosenfeld, Ingolf V. Hertel, Yuri P. Meshcheryakov, et al.. Dynamics of femtosecond laser induced voidlike structures in fused silica. Applied Physics Letters, 2009, 94 (4), pp.041911. ⟨10.1063/1.3070522⟩. ⟨ujm-00357147⟩