Abstract
This paper predicts and theoretically describes the formation of spatially
inhomogeneous mechanical stresses in the surface region of a transparent insulator when
its lattice is ionized under the action of a short laser pulse. The continuum theory of
elasticity is used to calculate the mean values of the components of the strain tensor
and their fluctuations in a layer with an inhomogeneous random distribution of ions
acting as sources of a mechanical stress field. It is shown that, depending on the
degree of ionization and the thickness of the ionized layer, there are three possible
types of modification of the medium, distinguished by the spatial scale of the induced
structural changes.
© 2008 Optical Society of America
PDF Article
More Like This
Cited By
You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.
Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription