Generation of sound by laser pulses

A theoretical and experimental investigation was made of the thermal generation of sound by the absorption of laser pulses whose duration was short compared with the transit time of sound across the absorption region. An approximate theoretical model was used in calculations of the acoustic field in the near and far zones of a bulk antenna formed by the absorption zone. Experiments were carried out using a YAG laser emitting pulses of 30 nsec duration and 0.06 J energy. The experimental results were in good agreement with the theory.