N.B. Podymova

TIME-RESOLVED LASER OPTOACOUSTIC TOMOGRAPHY OF INHOMOGENEOUS MEDIA

The methods of time-resolved laser optoacoustic tomography of inhomogeneous media and related problems are reviewed. Time-resolved laser optoacoustic tomography allows one to measure the distribution of light absorption in turbid media with depth resolution up to several microns in real time. The theory of laser excitation of acoustic waves by absorbing of light in particles, dispersed in transparent, light-absorbing or scattering media, is developed. The distribution of light absorption can be obtained from the temporal course of acoustic pressure. Two schemes of acoustic wave detection — in the medium under testing (direct detection) and in transparent medium, coupled to the investigated one (indirect detection) — are discussed. In both cases the reconstruction of light absorption can be made by simple calculations. Test experiments with homogeneous and layered media confirm the proposed theoretical models and the possibility of using the proposed experimental schemes. Light absorption in homogeneous, inhomogeneous media and in absorbing particles dispersed in turbid media was investigated. The experimental setup allows one to measure the absorption coefficients over the range 1-500 cm−1 with the depth resolution 10–15 μm over the depth 1–1.5 mm.

Backward mode detection of laser-induced wide-band ultrasonic transients with optoacoustic transducer

Time-resolved piezoelectric detection of wide-band ultrasonic transients induced by laser pulses in absorbing medium was studied. An optoacoustic transducer was developed for measuring the profiles of ultrasonic transients propagating in backward direction out of the laser-irradiated medium. For this purpose, an optical fiber for delivery of laser pulses to the surface of absorbing medium and a wide-band lithium niobate acoustic transducer were incorporated in one compact system, optoacoustic front surface transducer (OAFST). The transducer possesses temporal resolution (rise time) of 3.5 ns, low effective thermal noise pressure (10 Pa), and high sensitivity of piezoelectric detection (10 μV/Pa) over the ultrasonic frequency range from 1 to 100 MHz. Nd:YAG laser pulses at 355 nm were employed to generate distribution of acoustic sources in water solutions of potassium chromate with various concentrations. A temporal course of ultrasonic transients launched into an optically and acoustically transparent me...

Laser ablation of aqueous solutions with spatially homogeneous and heterogeneous absorption

The ablation efficiency of aqueous solutions with different concentrations and spatially homogeneous (CuCl2 solution) and heterogeneous (ink solution) absorption was studied as a function of the pulse-energy fluence (Nd:YAG laser, λ=1064 nm, τp = 20 ns). The latter was varied over a wide range from 0.15 J/cm2 to 8.00 J/cm2. The ablation threshold of solutions with heterogeneous absorption was found to be much lower (3 to 4 times) than the ablation threshold of solutions with homogeneous absorption and with the same average absorption coefficient. The ablation efficiency of heterogeneous solutions was higher by more than an order of magnitude. It was found that the ablation efficiency increases drastically for both types of solutions as the pulse energy fluence was raised to exceed the ablation threshold by 2 or 3 times. At such energy fluences, along with small droplets, larger droplets (1.5–2 mm cross section) could be ejected. This points to the ablation of solutions being affected by a hydrodynamic shock formed as a result of the pulsed recoil pressure excerted by the ablation products. The differences between the ablation processes for solutions with homogeneous and heterogeneous absorption as well as the hydrodynamic destruction at high energy fluences are discussed.

Thickness Measurement for Submicron Metallic Coatings on a Transparent Substrate by Laser Optoacoustic Technique

A new nondestructive technique for determining the thicknesses of submicron metallic coatings on transparent substrates is developed. The technique is based on measuring the frequency dependence of the efficiency of thermooptical conversion on the thickness of a metallic film in the case of its contact with a transparent fluid. Experiments were conducted with three chromium coatings of different thicknesses (0.2, 0.3, and 0.6 μm) on quartz substrates. Two different experimental schemes were used: a direct scheme (laser radiation hits the film from the side of the substrate) and an indirect one (the laser action upon the film occurs from the side of the fluid). The film thickness is determined by approximating the experimental frequency dependences of thermooptical conversion efficiency by theoretical curves with the use of the least-squares method. The optoacoustic method can be used for determination of coating thicknesses in the range from 50 nm to 5 μm with an error of about 50 nm.

Optoacoustic method for determination of submicron metal coating properties: Theoretical consideration

The goal of this work is theoretical consideration of the optoacoustic (OA) conversion in the system consisting of a metal film deposited on a transparent dielectric substrate and covered by a transparent liquid. This consideration implies a method for nondestructive evaluation of submicron metal coatings. The main principle of the method is the following. Irradiation of the metal film by a nanosecond laser pulse leads to transient heating and expansion of the film that in turn results in the generation of an acoustic signal. The waveform of the signal results from two contributions: the “primary” signal from the thermal expansion of the metal film, which repeats the temporal profile of the laser pulse envelope, and the “secondary” signal, which originates from the thermal expansion of the adjacent liquid layer. Due to low thermal conductivity of liquid compared to metal, the liquid accumulates heat that is released in metal and produces that secondary contribution into the OA conversion. This contributio...

Time-resolved optoacoustic measurement of absorption of light by inhomogeneous media

A method for measuring the absorption of light with optically turbid media is considered. The method is based on the registration of the temporal shape (leading-edge slope) of the developing optoacoustic signal in a medium that is absorbing a short laser pulse. Results of experiments with a Nd:YAG laser (10 ns) demonstrate the effectiveness of the method for both homogeneous and inhomogeneous optical media.

Direct measurement of the spatial distribution of light intensity in a scattering medium

A direct nonperturbative measurement of the spatial distribution of the light intensity in a strongly scattering medium is performed using an optoacoustic method. It is shown that near a surface the intensity can be five times greater than the incident intensity, and the absolute maximum of the intensity is observed at a depth ℓ(1–R)(1–4.0R) determined by the photon transport mean free path ℓ and the effective light reflection coefficient R of the boundary separating the scattering and external media.

The influence of porosity on ultrasound attenuation in carbon fiber reinforced plastic composites using the laser-ultrasound spectroscopy

Wideband acoustic spectroscopy with a laser ultrasound source for quantitative analysis of the effect of porosity on the attenuation coefficient of longitudinal acoustic waves in carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) composite materials was experimentally implemented. The samples under study had different bulk-porosity levels (up to 10%), which were determined using X-ray computer tomography. A resonance ultrasound attenuation peak associated with the one-dimensional periodicity of the layered composite structure was observed for all samples. The absolute value of the resonance-peak maximum and its width depend on the local concentration of microscopic isolated pores and extended delaminations in the sample structure. The obtained empirical relationships between these parameters of the frequency dependence of the ultrasound attenuation coefficient and the type of inhomogeneities and their volume concentration can be used for rapid evaluation of the structural quality of CFRP composites.

Optoacoustic technique for thickness measurement of submicron metal coatings

The new nondestructive method for thickness measurement of submicron metal coatings on transparent substrate is developed. The method is based on the optoacoustic (OA) transformation in the system, where the coating is covered by an optically transparent liquid. Theoretical treatment of the problem consists of two steps. At the first step laser-induced thermal field in the system is calculated, taking into account the large thermal conductivity of the metal film and partial heat diffusion into the liquid. At the second step the system of wave equations for scalar potential of vibration velocities is solved. Heat sources, determined at the first step, are free form of wave equations. Three chrome coatings of different thickness (approximately 0.2, 0.3, and 0.6 μm) deposited on the quartz substrate are tested experimentally. Two different organic liquids (acetone and ethanol) are used to cover chrome coatings. Nanosecond diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser operated at the main harmonic is used to perform OA transformation (laser pulse duration is τL = 12 ns, the laser energy is about 0.2 mJ). Two detection modes are used. In forward mode laser pulse irradiates the film from the side of the substrate and in backward mode—from the side of the liquid. Detection of induced ultrasonic pulses is performed by the wide-band piezoelectric transducer in the liquid in both cases. The thickness of the coatings is determined by the least squares fitting of the theoretical dependencies of spectral transfer functions of OA transformation to experimental data. It is demonstrated, that the developed technique can be used for measurement of metal coatings thickness within the range from 50 nm to 5 μm with the error about 50 nm.

Relaxation dynamics of a broadband nanosecond acoustic pulse in a bubbly medium

The first experimental observation of the propagation dynamics of a short broadband acoustic pulse in a resonance medium with gas bubbles is carried out. The probing pulse is generated using the optoacoustic effect. It is shown that the theory of short pulse propagation in media with generalized resonance relaxation adequately and accurately describes the dynamics of short pulse dispersion. A possibility to determine the relaxation and resonance parameters of media by the pulsed testing technique is demonstrated.