Model and numerical simulations of the propagation and absorption of a short laser pulse in a transparent dielectric material: Blast-wave launch and cavity formation

We present a theoretical model and its numerical realization, which describes a submicron cavity formation in a transparent dielectric under a tight focusing of a ultrashort laser pulse. The model contains two parts. The first one provides the laser energy deposition in the sample along with the energy balance-the reflection and transmission of the laser pulse. It resolves the full set of Maxwell's equations in the two-dimensional geometry coupled to the material equations describing the atomic ionization by the laser electric field and the secondary electron collisions and the recombination processes. The second part describes the launch of the blast wave and the cavity formation under the deposited laser energy. The results of numerical simulations are compared with a qualitative theoretical model and experimental results.