Femtosecond Laser-Matter Interactions ─ Theory, Experiments and Applications

This is the first comprehensive treatment of the interaction of femtosecond laser pulses with solids at nonrelativistic intensity. It connects phenomena from the subtle atomic motion on the nanoscale to the generation of extreme pressure and temperature in the interaction zone confined inside a solid. The femtosecond laser-matter interaction has already found numerous applications in industry, medicine, and materials science. However, there is no consensus on the interpretation of related phenomena. With mathematics kept to a minimum, this is a highly engaging and readable treatment for students and researchers in science and engineering.
The book avoids complex mathematical formulae, and hence the content is accessible to nontechnical readers. Useful summaries after each chapter provide compressed information for quick estimates of major parameters in planned or performed experiments. The book connects the basic physics of femtosecond laser-solid interactions to a broad range of applications. Throught the text, basic assumptions are derived from the first principles, and new results and ideas are presented. From such analyses, a qualitative and predictive framework for the field emerges, the impact of which on applications is also discussed.

Eugene G. Gamaly received his master’s degree in theoretical physics from the Moscow State University (1958), PhD from the Federal Nuclear Centre, Russia (1970), and Dr. Sc. degree and Professor of Physics title from the P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow (1980). During 1958–1973, he worked in the fields of high-temperature/density plasma physics, combined with nuclear fission/fusion in its most general and specific aspects. He joined P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute on invitation of Prof. N. G. Basov, Nobel Laureate. His work during 1973–1992 featured the pioneering researches on laser-induced fusion and on the fundamentals of short and intense laser–matter interaction. He joined the Australian National University in 1992. His recent interests relate to the nonequilibrium processes on atomic space and time scales and material transformations induced by ultra-short lasers. Gamaly has authored and co-authored more than 300 papers.

Basics of Ultra-Short Laser–Solid Interactions. Subtle Atomic Motion Preceding a Phase Transition: Birth, Life and Death of Phonons. Ultra-Fast Disordering by fs-Lasers: Superheating Prior to Entropy Catastrophe. Ablation of Solids. Ultra-Short Laser–Matter Interaction Confined Inside a Bulk of Transparent Solid. Applications of Ultra-Short Laser–Matter Interactions. Conclusion Remarks.