High-speed imaging of non-photochemical laser-induced nucleation in aqueous cesium chloride.

A study of non-photochemical laser-induced nucleation (NPLIN) of cesium chloride in aqueous supersaturated solutions is presented. Single, unfocused laser pulses (duration 5 ns, peak power density 180 MW cm) of 532 nm laser light were used to induce crystal nucleation, and the resulting dynamics were studied using imaging at frame rates up to 250 000 frames per second (4 μs per frame). Thermocavitation events were observed in a surrounding index-matching fluid, both in the bulk and at the exterior walls of vials.