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Laser-Induced Microexplosion Confined in the Bulk of a Sapphire Crystal: Evidence of Multimegabar Pressures

S. Juodkazis, K. Nishimura, S. Tanaka, H. Misawa, E. G. Gamaly, B. Luther-Davies, L. Hallo, P. Nicolai, and V. T. Tikhonchuk
Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 166101 – Published 25 April 2006
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Abstract

Extremely high pressures (10TPa) and temperatures (5×105K) have been produced using a single laser pulse (100 nJ, 800 nm, 200 fs) focused inside a sapphire crystal. The laser pulse creates an intensity over 1014W/cm2 converting material within the absorbing volume of 0.2μm3 into plasma in a few fs. A pressure of 10TPa, far exceeding the strength of any material, is created generating strong shock and rarefaction waves. This results in the formation of a nanovoid surrounded by a shell of shock-affected material inside undamaged crystal. Analysis of the size of the void and the shock-affected zone versus the deposited energy shows that the experimental results can be understood on the basis of conservation laws and be modeled by plasma hydrodynamics. Matter subjected to record heating and cooling rates of 1018K/s can, thus, be studied in a well-controlled laboratory environment.

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  • Received 24 November 2005

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.166101

©2006 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

S. Juodkazis1, K. Nishimura1, S. Tanaka1, H. Misawa1, E. G. Gamaly2, B. Luther-Davies2, L. Hallo3, P. Nicolai3, and V. T. Tikhonchuk3

  • 1CREST-JST and Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, N21-W10, CRIS Building, Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
  • 2Centre for Ultrahigh Bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems, Laser Physics Centre, Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia
  • 3Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications, UMR 5107 CEA CNRS - Université Bordeaux 1, 33405 Talence, Cedex, France

See Also

Precision Microexplosions

JR Minkel
Phys. Rev. Focus 17, 16 (2006)

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Issue

Vol. 96, Iss. 16 — 28 April 2006

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