Abstract: A metal or graphite fiber is suspended in a working fluid having a high refractive index change with the temperature and a modulated laser beam heats the fiber producing a synchronous thermal wave in the fiber whose amplitude and phase are measured by passing a probe laser beam through the liquid close to the fiber and converting the probe beam deflections into an electric signal. A theoretical model of the thermal wave is used to calculate the amplitude and phase shift of a theoretical thermal wave for points along the fiber from physical characteristics of the lasers and the fiber including an estimate of the thermal conductivity of the fiber.

Abstract: A method of doping diamond by(1) ion implanting carbon into the diamond to create a damage zone of opaque, nondiamond material;(2) ion implanting a semiconductor dopant material that is a pentavalent donor dopant or a trivalent acceptor dopant into the damage zone of opaque, nondiamond carbon material;(3) melting the opaque, nondiamond carbon material by lased light; and(4) allowing the carbon melt to cool and crystallize homoepitaxially as diamond from the diamond surfaces during which the dopant material is incorporated into the new diamond lattice.

Abstract: A process for bonding two diamond surfaces together by(1) forming a layer of opaque nondiamond carbon material between the two mond surfaces;(2) pressing the diamond surfaces together with the opaque nondiamond material sandwiched between the diamond surfaces;(3) used pulse lased light to quickly melt all the opaque nondiamond carbon material before a significant amount of heat is lost through the diamond surface; and then(4) allowing the resulting carbon melt to cool and solidify as polycrystalline diamond which grows homoepitaxially from the diamond surfaces, bonding those surfaces together.

Abstract: A process for producing a diamond composite comprising diamond powder parles bonded together by polycrystalline diamond by (1) pressing an intimate mixture of fine opaque nondiamond carbon powder and transparent diamond powder to form a green body that is confined in either a thin walled transparent quartz vessel or a polycrystalline diamond coating; (2) using a pulse laser to quickly melt the opaque nondiamond carbon powder, and (3) allowing the carbon melt to cool and grow homoepitaxially from the surfaces of the diamond particles producing a polycrystalline diamond that bonds the diamond particles together.