Transient heating of solids of finite size under bulk absorption of a light pulse

The transient temperature associated with the bulk absorption of a rectangular laser pulse in a solid-state sample of finite size is calculated analytically and analyzed. Radiation is incident on the frontal surface with an arbitrary surface thermal conductivity. The opposite surface is thermostatically controlled and maintained at a constant equilibrium temperature. The general solution is obtained for pulses of arbitrary duration. The pulse duration is determined with respect to the relaxation time of the nonstationary thermal diffusion. This latter is the characteristic time of the problem.