Laser-induced pattern formation from homogeneous polyisoprene solutions

This paper reports that the pattern formation in homogeneous solutions of polyisoprene in toluene saturated with C_60 induced by a continuous-wave visible laser is observed experimentally. The transmitted beam patterns change with the increase of the laser irradiation time. In the initial phase, the patterns with concentric ring-shaped structure are formed. In the end, the patterns become speckle-shaped. The incubation time of the transmitted beam widening is inversely proportional to the laser power density and solution concentration. The pattern formation results from the optical-field-induced refractive index changes in the solutions, but the mechanism of optical-field-induced refractive index changes in the polymer solutions needs to be further studied.