High-speed photography of shock waves with an adaptive illumination

An adaptable, laser-diode-based illumination system was developed to simultaneously visualize the dynamics of slow and fast phenomena in optically transparent media. The system can be coupled with still or high-speed cameras and makes it possible to generate an arbitrary train of illumination pulses with a variable pulse duration, pulse energy, and an intrapulse delay with a temporal resolution of 12.5 ns. Its capabilities are presented with selected illustrative visualizations of the dynamics of the shock waves and the cavitation entities generated after the laser-induced breakdown in water.