General Considerations
Laser light affects materials of all types through fundamental processes such as excitation, ionization, and dissociation of atoms and molecules. These processes depend on the proprieties of the light, as well as on the proprieties of the material. Using lasers for material processing translates into understanding and being able to control these fundamental effects. A better understanding can be achieved by defining distinct interaction regimes, hence the definition of four photoionization modes.
This new way of looking at the laser interaction with matter was first proposed by Tiberius Brastaviceanu in 2006, after his description of the "filamentary ionization mode" (Sherbrooke University, 2005). In his Master's work he provided the empirical proof of the formation of filamentary distributions of solvated electrons in water, induced by high-power fs laser pulses in the self-focusing propagation regime, and described the theoretical context in which this phenomenon can be explained and controlled.
Read more about this topic: Photoionization Mode
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