Perspective on non-invasive and non-destructive photoacoustic and photothermal applications
Christ Glorieux
Abstract
This contribution intends to convince readers that by virtue of the rich physics involved, optical excitation, thermal diffusion, thermal expansion, and acoustic wave propagation, and of the optical nature of the involved excitation and detection, photoacoustic and photothermal methods offer a unique combination of features that makes them very attractive for exploitation in a wide area of scientific and technological fields that involve material property evaluation. A perspective is also given on the high potential of these methods for substantial advances beyond the state of the art in a diverse selection of scientific disciplines: biomedical diagnostics, cell and tissue mechanobiology, thin film and interface characterization, characterization of the microstructure of solids, and the physics of relaxation in glass-forming liquids.