Abstract:
An analytic theory is developed for the diffraction of light by a surface having a spatially periodic profile when the amplitudes of modulation of the surface relief are large. The conditions for anomalously fast laser heating and anomalously high (100%) absorptivity of a corrugated metal surface are studied as a function of the frequency, polarization, angle of incidence of the pump wave, modulation depth, and orientation of the surface grating. The conditions for self-induced anomalies on exposure of an initially flat surface to laser radiation are discussed. The proposed theory is compared with the experimental results and a good agreement is demonstrated.