Abstract
It was demonstrated during the past decade that an ultra-short intense laser pulse tightly-focused deep inside a transparent dielectric generates an energy density in excess of several MJ/cm. Such an energy concentration with extremely high heating and fast quenching rates leads to unusual solid-plasma-solid transformation paths, overcoming kinetic barriers to the formation of previously unknown high-pressure material phases, which are preserved in the surrounding pristine crystal. These results were obtained with a pulse of a Gaussian shape in space and in time. Recently, it has been shown that the Bessel-shaped pulse could transform a much larger amount of material and allegedly create even higher energy density than what was achieved with the Gaussian beam (GB) pulses. Here, we present a succinct review of previous results and discuss the possible routes for achieving higher energy density employing the Bessel beam (BB) pulses and take advantage of their unique properties.
Highlights
The studies of confined microexplosions during the last decade revealed the major features of this complicated phenomenon where the processes of electro-magnetic field/dielectric interaction, plasma formation and high-pressure hydrodynamics are intertwined
We should state that further progress in achieving and steering the high energy density strongly depends on the future pump-probe experiments, which will register with time/space resolution the history of the Bessel beams (BB)-generated microexplosion, processes of returning to the ambient state and new phases’ formation
The stages of successive transformations are the following; the time count starts at the beginning of the pump pulse: 1. The low intensity stage before ionisation threshold lasts a few fs at the beginning of the pulse; 2
Summary
The studies of confined microexplosions during the last decade revealed the major features of this complicated phenomenon where the processes of electro-magnetic field/dielectric interaction, plasma formation and high-pressure hydrodynamics are intertwined. The material converted to high pressure/temperature solid density plasma is transformed into the novel solid phase during the ultra-fast cooling and re-structuring. The theoretical (computational, modified DFT-studies) during the last decade searched for the possible paths of material transformations under high pressure from the initially chaotic (stochastic) state [5]. These studies uncovered many physically allowed paths for the formation of multiple novel phases (including incommensurable phases) from the initially chaotic state. The confined microexplosion method now is the only practically realised way for the formation of novel material phases from the plasma state, preserving the transformed material confined inside the pristine crystal for further structural studies
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