Thermal diffusivity of semitransparent materials determined by the laser-flash method applying a new analytical model

We have developed an analytical model to determine the thermal diffusivity of nonscattering materials from samples with low optical thickness and opaque boundaries with arbitrary emissivities. The paper outlines the new analytical model and describes measurements on two samples: a microscope slide glass and a high-grade fused quartz plate. Results show that the new model applied to measurements on gold- or graphite-coated samples leads to the same results as if a conventional model is used on gold-coated samples.