Abstract

An ultrashort laser pulse incident on a metal first interacts with the electrons which thermalize rapidly via electron-electron scattering. If the pulses are sufficiently short, electron temperatures in excess of the lattice temperature are generated since the electronic specific heat is much less than that of the lattice. Thermal relaxation of the electrons occurs primarily through electron-phonon interaction. Such processes have been investigated theoretically and observed experimentally[1-3].

© 1986 Optical Society of America