English

Researchers have captured the strange behavior of laser induced gold

1175
2024-02-17 11:20:40
See translation

A new study conducted by the US Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has revealed the strange behavior of gold when impacted by high-energy laser pulses.

When certain materials are subjected to strong laser excitation, they will quickly disintegrate. But gold is exactly the opposite: it becomes more resilient and resilient. This is because the way gold atoms vibrate together - their phonon behavior - has changed.

"Our research findings challenge previous understanding, indicating that under certain conditions, metals like gold become stronger rather than melting when subjected to strong laser pulses," said Adrien Descamps, a researcher at Queen's University of Belfast who led the study during his graduate studies at Stanford University and SLAC. This is in stark contrast to semiconductors, which become unstable and melt.

For decades, simulations have hinted at the possibility of this phenomenon, known as phonon hardening. Now, using SLAC's linear accelerator coherent light source, researchers have finally brought this phonon hardening to people's attention. The team has published their research results in Scientific Progress.

"It's a fascinating journey to see our theoretical predictions validated in experiments," said collaborator Emma McBride, a researcher at Queen's University Belfast and former Panofsky researcher at SLAC's high-energy density science department. The accuracy of measuring these phenomena on LCLS is astonishing, opening up new possibilities for future research in materials science.

In their experiment, the team aimed an optical laser pulse at a thin gold film in an extreme conditions material laboratory chamber, and then used ultrafast X-ray pulses from LCLS to capture atomic level snapshots of material reactions. This high-resolution glimpse of the world of gold atoms allows researchers to observe subtle changes and capture the moment when phonon energy increases, providing specific evidence of phonon hardening.

"We use X-ray diffraction in LCLS to measure the structural response of gold to laser excitation," McBride said. This reveals insights into the arrangement and stability of atoms under extreme conditions.

Researchers have found that when gold absorbs extremely high-energy optical laser pulses, the force that holds its atoms together becomes stronger. This change causes atoms to vibrate faster, which can alter the reaction of gold to heat and may even affect its melting temperature.

"Looking ahead, we are pleased to apply these findings to more practical applications, such as laser processing and material manufacturing, where understanding these processes at the atomic level may lead to improvements in technology and materials," Descamps said. We also plan to conduct more experiments and hope to explore these phenomena on a wider range of materials. For our field, this is an exciting moment, and we look forward to seeing where these findings will take us.

Source: Laser Net

Related Recommendations
  • Expert discussion at IEC TC110 conference: Laser display is expected to surpass traditional display solutions

    Recently, the International Electrotechnical Commission Electronic Display Technology Committee (IEC TC110) International Standards Conference was held in Qingdao, attracting more than 120 experts, scholars, and technical representatives from around the world, including Japan, South Korea, and the United States. At the IEC TC110 conference, laser display technology has won wide recognition from in...

    02-25
    See translation
  • LiDAR solutions provider Cepton acquired by KOITO

    On July 29, 2024, Cepton, a provider of high-performance LiDAR solutions, announced the signing of the final agreement for its acquisition, making it the acquiring company's subsidiary in the United States.Image source: CeptonAccording to the agreement, the acquirer is the internationally renowned automotive lighting giant KOITO, which was established in 1915 and has a history of over a hundred ye...

    2024-08-01
    See translation
  • Coherent Company Announces the Launch of High Power Non Cooled G10 Pumped Laser Module for Submarine and Ground Applications

    Coherent, a leading supplier of high-performance optical network solutions, announced today the launch of a new high-power non cooled pump laser module based on the latest G10 series semiconductor laser tube technology. These new modules are specifically developed for high reliability submarine applications as well as single chip and dual chip ground applications.The new non cooled pump laser modu...

    2024-03-23
    See translation
  • Xi'an Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics has made new progress in the research of attosecond high spatiotemporal resolution imaging

    The attosecond light source has the characteristics of ultra short pulse width, short wavelength, high coherence, and high-precision synchronous control, and has extremely high potential for application in the field of ultrafast imaging. Especially when the attosecond light source reaches the "water window" band, oxygen and hydrogen atoms have weak absorption of X-rays in this band, so water is re...

    2024-10-14
    See translation
  • Aerotech's next-generation laser processing technology for medical device manufacturing

    Recently, Aerotech Inc., a global leader in precision motion control and automation, launched the ultimate cylindrical laser machining motion platform LaserTurn160. LaserTurn160 is designed for unparalleled precision and efficiency, with a 40% increase in production capacity compared to similar systems, setting a new standard for medical device manufacturing. Extremely high efficiency, unparalle...

    02-08
    See translation