Laser induced short plane acoustic wave focusing in water

Abstract

Laser induced high frequency acoustic wave generation, propagation, and focusing in water are studied. A large area, flat, and short duration acoustic wave was generated by the thermoelastic interaction of a homogenized short pulsed laser beam with the liquid-solid interface and propagated at the speed of sound. Laser flash Schlieren photography was used to visualize the transient interaction of the flat acoustic wave with a cylindrical concave lens and the subsequent acoustic wave focusing. Numerical simulations showed the acoustic wave could be focused to several tens of microns in size and 7 bars in pressure. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.