  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.
