Abstract
We observed dynamics of laser ablation in liquids through two high-speed imaging techniques, highspeed
pump-and-probe photography and high-speed laser stroboscopic videography, and briefly described
both imaging techniques. The target materials are epoxy-resin blocks immersed in a liquid environment,
and the images were taken through circular polariscope optics in a bright-field mode. We
simultaneously observed both phenomena in gas or liquid phases as well as inside a solid and visually
demonstrated the confi ning effects of liquid on laser-induced shock processes. We also described the effects
of liquid-layer thickness on the laser-induced shock process and studied the dynamical behavior of
laser-induced cavitation bubbles through high-speed videography. The dynamics of a cavitation bubble
was recorded successfully with 4-μs time resolution and its growth and shrinkage were analyzed. Secondary
shocks are generated when the fi rst bubble collapsed and the magnitude of the shock inside the
solid was approximately one order smaller than that of the initial laser-induced shock.
