Ultrafast high repetition rate absorption spectroscopy of polymer shock compression

A dual-beam transient absorption spectrometer for high repetition rate (80 shocks per second) studies of shock compressed materials is described. The apparatus time response is 100 ps, so the time resolution of the shock compression process is generally limited by the shock transit time across the sample. In turn the sample thickness is limited by the sensitivity of the spectrometer. Using 400 nm thick samples of R640 dye aggregates in poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) and a 4.2 GPa laser-driven shock, transient absorption spectra show a shock induced absorption redshift occurring in 500 ps, considerably longer than the 200 ps shock front transit time (round trip) through the sample. This noninstantaneous shock compression is consistent with the ∼ 300 ps viscoelastic response of PMMA at 4.2 GPa.