Surface waves in defocusing thermal media
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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Subsurface Defect Localization by Structured Heating Using Laser Projected Photothermal Thermography
Published on: May 15, 2017
Yaroslav V Kartashov1, Fangwei Ye, Victor A Vysloukh
1ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, and Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Mediterranean Technology Park, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain. Yaroslav.Kartashov@icfo.es
Abstract:
We predict that the interface of materials with defocusing thermal nonlinearities supports stable fundamental and higher-order surface waves when the opposite edges of the medium are maintained at different temperatures. Such surface waves exist due to the interplay between repulsion from the interface and the defocusing thermal nonlinearity that deflects light beams from the bulk of the medium toward its edges.
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