Direct visualization of laser-driven focusing shock waves.

Direct real-time visualization and measurement of laser-driven shock generation, propagation, and 2D focusing in a sample are demonstrated. A substantial increase of the pressure at the convergence of the cylindrical acoustic shock front is observed experimentally and simulated numerically. Single-shot acquisitions using a streak camera reveal that at the convergence of the shock wave in water the supersonic speed reaches Mach 6, corresponding to the multiple gigapascal pressure range ∼30 GPa.