Recent advances in optodynamics

The term optodynamics has been introduced to describe a wide range of optically induced dynamic phenomena, which play an important role in laser–material processes as well as in laser-assisted medical applications. In view of laser material processing, a laser beam is not only considered as a tool, but also as a generator of information about the material’s transformation. The information is retained and conveyed by different kinds of optically induced mechanical motions, such as shock, acoustic and ultrasound waves, and cavitation bubbles. Special emphasis is given to the recent investigations of linear momentum transformation during the laser–material interaction and to the on-line monitoring of laser material processing.