Thermal Physics in Laser Applications

Thermal processes play pivotal roles in laser-assisted material processing, synthesis, and manufacturing. Examples include heating, melting, vaporization, solidification, and thermal stress formation and propagation. Understanding of how these processes are affected by laser parameters (e.g. laser intensity, pulse width, pulse energy, photon energy, and polarization), and how they determine the final material structure and properties is critical to high-level process control, final structure tailoring, and functionality optimization. In the past, tremendous work have been reported on experimental, theoretical, and modeling studies of the wide spectrum thermal processes in laser-structure interaction.
In energy transport area, lasers have been widely used to probe energy transport at the micro/nanoscale in a non-intrusive way. Some advanced techniques have been developed and widely used for thermophysical characterization down to atomic scale. Examples of these techniques include the pump-probe technique in the time and frequency domains, where ultrafast laser heating and delayed thermal probing are involved. Another exemplary technique is the Raman spectroscopy-based technique for thermophysical characterization of materials down to single atom thickness. Its material-specific thermal sensing capability enables spatial resolution only limited by the feature size of materials. Quick development of time-resolved Raman, especially the energy transport state-resolved Raman (ET-Raman) and frequency domain ET-Raman (FET-Raman) has achieved unprecedented capability in probing thermophysical processes at the nanoscale.

This special issue is intended to encompass the latest advancements in thermal physics in laser-assisted material processing, synthesis, and manufacturing. Also included are laser applications in probing thermal phenomena and characterizing thermophysical properties down to atomic scale to solve critical scientific problems and make significant engineering advances.

Researchers are invited to submit their full research article, letter, perspectives, and review on the above topics. This special issue will provide a platform for disseminating thermal physics knowledge, insight, and breakthroughs.

Topics covered include, but are not limited to:

Guest Editors

Xinwei Wang, Iowa State University, USA

Jing Liu, Shenzhen Technology University, P.R. China

Yangsu Xie, Shenzhen University, P.R. China

Submission Instructions

For those interested in submitting, please take note of the following instructions:

1. Navigate to the journal’s online submission system: https://jla.peerx-press.org/cgi-bin/main.plex.
2. For inquiries regarding manuscript submission and the special issue, please contact liujing@sztu.edu.cn and ysxie@szu.edu.cn.