Experimental investigation of transverse waves generated in metal by a laser pulse

Experimental investigations of transverse-wave pulses generated in a metal by a short laser pulse are presented. The effects of the laser radiation intensity, dimensions of the laser spot, and the incidence angle on the amplitude, shape, and width of the acoustic pulse have been studied. The results are discussed in terms of the model of a thermal acoustic emitter in the form of a thin metal disk heated by a laser pulse, where a pulse of radial and axial mechanical stress is driven by the thermoelastic and hydrodynamic mechanisms.