A phenomenological theory of nonphotochemical laser induced nucleation

Our analysis of the experimental data related to nonphotochemical laser induced nucleation in solutions leads to the inevitable conclusion that the phase transformation is initiated by particles that are metallic in nature. This conclusion appears paradoxical because the final products are dielectric crystals. We show that the experimental results are well accounted for by the theory of electric field induced nucleation of metallic particles that are elongated in the direction of the field. However, new physical and chemical insights are required to understand the structure of the metallic precursor particles and the kinetics of subsequent dielectric crystallization.