Spallation strength of titanium at high-speed tension

The motion of the rear free surface of a titanium film target of submicron thickness under the action of an ultrashort shock-compression pulse generated by a femtosecond laser was studied via spectral interferometry with a picosecond resolution. The value of the titanium spallation strength was close to the theoretical ultimate tensile strength at a strain rate of $\sim10^9$ s$^{–1}$.