PICOSECOND-RESOLUTION STUDY OF NONLINEAR SCATTERING IN CARBON-BLACK SUSPENSIONS IN WATER AND ETHANOL

The physical origin of the nonlinear scattering of light induced by fo cusing of intense laser pulses onto carbon black suspensions (CBS's) i s discussed through the interpretation of limitation, time-resolved pu mp-probe transmission, and angularly and time-resolved scattering expe riments performed with picosecond resolution. Comparison of the experi mental results performed on two different solutions of CBS's in water and in ethanol leads us to the conclusion that the scattering phenomen on begins most probably with growing microplasmas and that the influen ce of the solvent is significant only at longer times. (C) 1998 Optica l Society of America.