Abstract
Femtosecond pump-probe reflectance of graphite and diamond targets following intense laser irradiation is used to measure the optical properties of the pressurized liquid carbon phase while it retains an optically sharp surface before expanding hydrodynamically as a hot plasma. These measurements allow the historically elusive liquid phase of carbon to be characterized optically for the first time. A Drude dielectric model of the reflectance spectrum 1 ps after excitation just above the melting threshold reveals a poorly conducting liquid metal with a dc resistivity 625±75μΩ · cm. The optically determined resistivity decreases with increasing sample excitation. The initial stages of hydrodynamic surface expansion of Al, W, and C targets are also quantitatively characterized by time-resolved reflectance, revealing the expansion speed as well as further dielectric properties of the high-temperature-pressure phase.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
J. Squier, F. Salin, G. Mourou, and D. Harter,Opt. Lett. 16:324 (1991).
F. G. Patterson and M. D. Perry,J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 8:2384 (1991).
J. D. Kmetec, J. J. Macklin, and J. F. Young,Opt. Lett. 16:1001 (1991).
H. M. Milchberg, R. R. Freeman, S. C. Davey, and R. M. More,Phys. Rev. Lett. 61:2364 (1988).
J. C. Kieffer, P. Audebert, M. Chaker, J. P. Matte, H. Pepin, T. W. Johnston, P. Maine, D. Meyerhofer, J. Delettrez, D. Strickland, P. Bado, and G. Mourou,Phys. Rev. Lett. 62:760 (1989).
R. Fedosejevs, R. Ottmann, R. Sigel, G. Kuhnle, S. Szatmari, and F. P. Schafer,Phys. Rev. Lett. 64:1250 (1990).
F. P. Bundy,Physica (Amsterdam) 156A:169 (1989).
R. M. More, K. H. Warren, D. A. Young, and G. B. Zimmerman,Phys. Fluids 31:3059 (1988).
D. H. Reitze, H. Ahn, and M. C. Downer,Phys. Rev. B 45:2677 (1992).
D. H. Reitze, X. Wang, H. Ahn, and M. C. Downer,Phys. Rev. B 40:11986 (1989).
N. Bloembergen,Nature 356:110 (1992).
W. M. Wood, G. Focht, and M. C. Downer,Opt. Lett. 13:984 (1988).
K. Seibert, G. C. Cho, W. Kutt, H. Kurz, D. H. Reitze, J. I. Dadap, H. Ahn, M. C. Downer, and A. M. Malvezzi,Phys. Rev. B 42:2842 (1990).
N. H. March,Liquid Metals (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1990).
S. V. Lebedev and A. I. Savvatimskii,Teplofiz. Vys. Temp. (USSR) 24:892 (1986);High Temp. (USA) 24:671 (1986).
K. M. Shvarev, B. A. Baum, and P. V. Gel'd,Fiz. Tverd. Tela (Leningrad) 16:3246 (1974);Sov. Phys. Solid State 16:2111 (1975).
J. N. Hodgson,Philos. Mag. 6:509 (1961).
N. F. Mott,Metal-Insulator Transitions (Taylor and Francis, London, 1974).
L. Spitzer, Jr.,Physics of Fully Ionized Gases (Wiley, New York, 1962).
Y. B. Zeldovich and Y. P. Raizer,Physics of Shock Waves and High Temperature Hydrodynamic Phenomena (Academic, New York, 1966).
H. M. Milchberg and R. R. Freeman,J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 6:1351 (1989).
J. G. Fujimoto, J. M. Liu, E. P. Ippen, and N. Bloembergen,Phys. Rev. Lett. 53:1837 (1984).
X. Y. Wang and M. C. Downer,Opt. Lett. 17:1450 (1992).
S. Kato, R. Kawakami, and K. Mima,Phys. Rev. A 43:5560 (1991).
G. Galli, R. M. Martin, R. Car, and M. Parrinello,Phys. Rev. B 42:7470 (1990).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Downer, M.C., Ahn, H., Reitze, D.H. et al. Dielectric function and electrical resistivity of liquid carbon determined by femtosecond spectroscopy. Int J Thermophys 14, 361–370 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00566036
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00566036