Abstract

Photothermal diagnostics (PTD) has been responsible for the emergence of a growing number of revolutionary new measurement technologies in both academic and industrial environments. The common element among these diffusion-based methodologies is that they are complementary to purely optical detection techniques because they rely on the detection of optically produced thermal phenomena, or on other processes that result in the occlusion of thermal energy or the emission of thermal infrared photons.

© 2002 Optical Society of America