Finite element modeling of bulk ultrasonic waves generated by ring-shaped laser illumination in a diamond anvil cell

Thermoelastic finite element models are established to study the bulk ultrasonic waves of an aluminum film generated by ring-shaped laser illumination in a diamond anvil cell. By analyzing the amplitudes of bulk ultrasonic waves arrived at the rear surface of film in detail, it shows that there exists strong enhancement effects on the central axis of the ring due to the constructive interference among the waves created by different parts of the ring source. The displacement distributions along the central axis indicate that the focal depth of shear wave is mainly determined by its directivity induced by a point-like laser source in a DAC system while it is more complicated to determine the focal depth of longitudinal wave. In particular, through changing the ring radius, we quantitatively demonstrate that the signal amplitudes generated by a ring source are far greater than those generated by a point-like source. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America