Imaging Studies of photodamage and self-healing in disperse orange 11 dye-doped PMMA

TL;DR

This study uses optical imaging to analyze laser-induced damage and self-healing in dye-doped PMMA, revealing recovery dynamics and damage thresholds relevant for material resilience.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed imaging-based analysis of self-healing mechanisms in disperse orange 11 dye-doped PMMA after photodamage.

Findings

Recovery time constant of approximately 490 minutes.

Existence of a damage threshold beyond which full recovery does not occur.

Correlation between damage recovery and amplified spontaneous emission measurements.

Abstract

We report on optical imaging studies of self-healing after laser-induced photodamage in disperse orange 11 dye doped into poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) polymer. In particular, the high spatial-contrast image of the damage track made by a line focus pump laser allows the recovery rates to be measured as a function of burn dose using the relationship between transverse distance and pump intensity profile. The time evolution of the damaged population results in an intensity-independent time constant of {\tau} = 490\pm23 min, in agreement with independent measurements of the time evolution of amplified spontaneous emission. Also observed is a damage threshold above which the material does not fully recover.