Applications of ultrafast photocoustics in femtosecond laser nanostructuring of absorbing thin films

In this talk I will show how fs-laser-driven acoustic pulses can be used both to fabricate, characterize and understand the underlying physics. To illustrate the power of an all-acoustic platform I will discuss the non-destructive characterization of femtosecond laser spallation and delamination cavities in metallic thin films using femtosecond time-resolved scanning photoacoustic microscopy. Physical properties of long-lived acoustic resonances in the MHz-to-GHz frequency range in the aforementioned structures and time-resolved studies of their acoustically driven formation dynamics will be discussed in the context of potential applications.