Plasma Expands Under Ultrafast Beams
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Dec. 20, 2012 — New insight into the behavior of ultrafast laser pulses could improve their performance in manufacturing, diagnostics and other research.
A laser's pulse at durations of 100 fs, or quadrillionths of a second, causes electrons to reach temperatures >60,000 ºC during the duration. The pulses create precise patterns in a process called cold ablation, which turns material into a plasma of charged particles.
Mechanical engineering doctoral student Wenqian Hu, who graduated this...