Visualization of laser generated ultrasound in a solid, a liquid and in air

A laser pulse incident on a bulk medium produces a very complex ultrasonic field, which is often further complicated by phenomena such as mode conversion, surface waves and plate waves. The propagating ultrasonic wavefronts have been modelled using computer intensive techniques, but it was thought that a method of directly observing the ultrasound could give a much clearer understanding of how the field propagates through various media