Abstract

Optical damage of solids is a complex process which is still poorly understood. Laser designers study optical damage to learn how to avoid it. Other groups, such as semiconductor processors or optical disk designers wish to use optical damage in a controlled manner. As a solid-state chemist, I find optical damage in molecular crystals can be used to simulate fast burning of solid materials such as explosives, and to learn about rapid spread of nucleation sites, from which the vast majority of solid state reactions propagate.

© 1986 Optical Society of America