ABSTRACT
In 1917, Albert Einstein proposed the theory of stimulated emission
of light [1] which introduced the idea of lasing action. In 1958,
Schawlow and Townes proposed theory for lasing action based
on extension of MASER (microwave amplification by stimulated
emission of radiation) to optical frequencies [2]. Two years later, in
1960, Maiman developed first LASERwith ruby as an active medium
[3]. With the development of high power lasers, the prospects
of laser-solid interaction were realized and a new era of laser-
induced material processing commenced [4, 5]. The investigations
on laser-liquid interaction started after two decades. The laser-
induced breakdown (LIB) in liquids was probably first reported by
Bell and Landt in the year 1967 [6]. The studies on laser ablation of
solid immersed in liquids for material processing were unexplored
until 1987when Patil et al. first reported the lasermatter interaction
at solid-liquid interface [7]. The LIB in liquid is accompanied by
plasma formation and mechanical effects such as shockwave and
cavitation bubbles. The basic difference between laser ablation of
solids in vacuum or gases and at solid-liquid interface is the plasma
confinement by the surrounding liquids which generates a localized
region of high pressure of the order of few GPa [8]. This situation
mesmerizes the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of plasma and,
under a suitable situation,may lead to the formation of nanocrystals.
