Transient responses of dielectrics during ultrashort pulsed laser irradiation using a generalized thermoelastic model considering temperature-dependent thermophysical properties

A novel model involving electron dynamics, electron-lattice interactions, and thermoelastic excitation for dielectrics exposed to ultrashort pulsed laser is proposed. The thermoelastic equations are modified based on the G-L generalized thermoelasticity and consider the temperature-dependent thermophysical properties. An axisymmetric problem of ultrashort pulsed laser irradiation on fused silica is presented. The fully-coupled equations are solved simultaneously using the finite element method to obtain the transient electron density, electron temperature, lattice temperature, and stresses. The evolution of transient responses and the effects of laser intensity, pulse duration, and temperature-dependent thermophysical properties are analyzed in detail. It was found that there are kinks in the distribution of transient responses, which is attributed to the rapid change of reflectivity. The axial stress has wave-like characteristics. The electron temperature is slightly lower than the lattice temperature after the thermal equilibrium is achieved. Maybe the temperature-dependence of lattice thermal conductivity could be neglected to reduce computational expenses.