Numerical simulation of photothermal effects in solids with inhomogeneous thermal properties

A numerical simulation procedure for the calculation of surface temperature in thermally inhomogeneous solids induced by a harmonically modulated exte rnal heat source is presented. The procedure is based on the separation of a basic heat conduction equation into two first-order differential equation s, followed by their approximation in a forward difference manner. The appl icability of the procedure is then demonstrated in two issues which are imp ortant for the photothermal spectroscopy of thermally inhomogeneous solids.