Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
The (0001), (1010), and (2110) faces of Bi have been pulse laser melted at 0.5 J/cm2 with a Q-switched Ruby laser. Nomarski Interference Contrast Microscopy, Channeling, and selective chemical etching have been used to investigate the response to the laser irradiation. The response of the material and the level of damage is shown to be strongly correlated to the critical resolved shear stress characteristics in the particular crystallographic direction studied.