Laser shock wave-induced visible mechanoluminescence from semi-transparent organic crystals.

Indirect focusing of the output from a pulsed infrared Nd3+ :YAG laser through a shock-generating layer onto organic crystals results in the emission of an intense microsecond duration pulse of mechanoluminescence (ML). The ML appears after a threshold laser fluence has been reached and increases sharply above this threshold. This specifies that there is a corresponding amplitude of a laser-induced shock wave that is necessary to induce crystal fracturing. Thus, the intensity of ML can be controlled by varying the laser fluence. Piezoelectric charges produced on the surfaces of a fractured crystal create the foundation for luminescence. Initially, the ML intensity increases with the shock wave pressure and time due to the creation of more surfaces in the crystal; the ML intensity reaches a peak value and then decreases over time. Thus, laser shock wave-induced ML provides a new optical technique for the study of materials under high pressure. Expressions explored for the characteristics of laser shock wave-induced ML satisfactorily explain the experimental results. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Laser power dependence of mechanoluminescence in metals.

Mechanoluminescence (ML) glow is produced on the back side when the front of a metal sample is irradiated with infrared Nd:YAG laser pulses. An incident laser beam with a power density below the plasma-flare onset threshold causes a rise in temperature in the studied metal. As the incident laser power density increases, the intensity of the ML glow signal also increases. On the basis of the laser power density-induced temperature, an expression is derived for the temperature-induced thermal stress. An expression is derived for the correlation between thermal stress and laser power density, which indicates that the temperature-induced thermal stress is directly related to the incident laser power density. In the region of plastic deformation, temperature-induced thermal stress is related to the strain and, consequently, to the emitted ML intensity. Finally, an expression is derived for the laser power dependence of the ML intensity, and good agreement is found between the theoretical and experimental results. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.