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...