Optical supercavitation in soft-matter

TL;DR

This paper explores the phenomenon of optical supercavitation in soft matter, demonstrating how high-intensity light induces a matter-shock wave and phase transition, enabling light to propagate through an absorbing colloidal medium.

Contribution

It provides a combined theoretical, numerical, and experimental analysis of nonlinear optical wave propagation and supercavitation in soft, out-of-equilibrium colloidal materials.

Findings

High-intensity light causes absorption frustration and propagation in colloids.

Formation of matter-shock waves due to thermodiffusion mediates supercavitation.

Observation of a dynamic phase-transition region during light propagation.

Abstract

We investigate theoretically, numerically and experimentally nonlinear optical waves in an absorbing out-of-equilibrium colloidal material at the gelification transition. At sufficiently high optical intensity, absorption is frustrated and light propagates into the medium. The process is mediated by the formation of a matter-shock wave due to optically induced thermodiffusion, and largely resembles the mechanism of hydrodynamical supercavitation, as it is accompanied by a dynamic phase-transition region between the beam and the absorbing material.