High-speed photographic study of laser damage and ablation

This paper reviews earlier work and describes a photographic investigation of damage produced in glasses, polymers and crystals by Q-switched and non-Q-switched laser pulses. The cameras used in the study include a Wollensak Fastax WF3 camera, a Beckman & Whitley (model 189) rotating mirror camera, and a Beckman & Whitley (model 501) image converter camera. The formation of internal disc-type cracks with the non-Q-switched pulse was studied in detail. The use of these cracks for fracture energy studies is demonstrated. Photographic sequences show the production of micro-plasmas associated with damage, and stress waves formed during irradiation in both solids and liquids. A recent development is that of digital holography which adds phase and intensity information to the more conventional photographic techniques. This technique is used here to study laser ablation and wave propagation in water. The photographic data shows the processes taking place in the laser interaction with a wide range of materials and should be of interest to modellers.