@conference {Schaffer:24,
	title = {Ultrafast laser induced microexplosions: explosive dynamics and sub-micrometer structures},
	year = {1998},
	publisher = {Photonics West},
	organization = {Photonics West},
	abstract = {Tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses can be nonlinearly absorbed inside transparent materials, creating a highly excited electron ion plasma. These conditions exist only in a small volume at the laser focus. This tight confinement and extreme conditions lead to an explosive expansion a microexplosion. In solid materials, a microexplosion can result in permanent structural changes. We find that the damage produced by femtosecond pulses in this way is surprisingly small, with only a 200-nm diameter. Material left at the center of the microexplosion is either amorphous and less dense or entirely absent. The threshold for breakdown and structural change is nearly independent of material. Time-resolved measurements of microexplosions in water allow us to observe the dynamics of the explosive expansion. The structural changes in solids resulting from microexplosions allow for three-dimensional data storage and internal microstructuring of transpa},
	keywords = {CA, San Jose},
	doi = {10.1016/0378-4371(87)90116-6},
	url = {/files/mazur/files/rep_24.pdf},
	author = {Schaffer, C. B. and E. N. Glezer and N. Nishimura and Mazur, E.}
}
