Quantitative assessment of femtosecond laser-induced stress waves in fused silica

Physical processes induced by ultrashort laser pulse interaction with transparent solids evolve across multiple spatial and temporal scales, including photoionization, energy deposition, subsequent relaxation and macroscopic material modification. Through a coupled experimental-simulation investigation, the authors provide here quantitative data on the creation of overcritical plasma density, GPa-level shockwaves, and temperatures in excess of 10000 K within the silica target. These results describe an unprecedented range of physical mechanisms and address long-standing unanswered questions.