Abstract
When a sphere is heated instantaneously axisymmetrically on its surface, thermal stress waves occur at the surface of the sphere. The stress waves in a sphere proceed radially inward to the center of the sphere. The waves may accumulate at the center and give rise to very large stress magnitudes, even through the initial thermal stress is relatively small. This phenomenon is called the stress-focusing effect, In this study we apply the thermal stress-focusing effect to a thermic laser detector. The distinctive feature of this detector is high sensing speed, high sensitivity, and compact structure. The experimental results give a clear indication of the mechanism of a detector.
