MHz-ultrasound generation by chirped femtosecond laser pulses from gold nano-colloidal suspensions

Photoacoustic signal enhancements from gold nano-colloidal suspensions excited by a pair of time-delayed femtosecond pulses

Photoacoustic signal enhancements were observed with a pair of time-delayed femtosecond pulses upon excitation of gold nanosphere colloidal suspension. A systematic experimental investigation of photoacoustic intensity within the delay time, Δt = 0 to 15 ns, was carried out. The results revealed a significant enhancement factor of ∼2 when the pre-pulse energy is 20-30% of the total energy. Pre-pulse and main pulse energy ratios, Ep(1):Es(2), were varied to determine the optimal ratio that yields to maximum photoacoustic signal enhancement. This enhancement was ascribed to the initial stage of thermalization and bubble generation in the nanosecond time scale. Pre-pulse scattering intensity measurements and numerical finite-difference time-domain calculations were performed to reveal dynamics and light field enchancement, respectively.

Femtosecond laser-induced hard X-ray generation in air from a solution flow of Au nano-sphere suspension using an automatic positioning system

Femtosecond laser-induced hard X-ray generation in air from a 100-µm-thick solution film of distilled water or Au nano-sphere suspension was carried out by using a newly-developed automatic positioning system with 1-µm precision. By positioning the solution film for the highest X-ray intensity, the optimum position shifted upstream as the laser power increased due to breakdown. Optimized positioning allowed us to control X-ray intensity with high fidelity. X-ray generation from Au nano-sphere suspension and distilled water showed different power scaling. Linear and nonlinear absorption mechanism are analyzed together with numerical modeling of light delivery.