A localized step melting of lead foils under the influence of UV (lambda = 308 nm) laser pulses is investigated. Standard nanosecond pump-and-probe measurements are performed to follow the surface evolution of lead samples. The surface morphology of the irradiated parts of the samples is examined by conventional optical microscopy-densitometry and atomic force microscopy methods. The surface corrugation is characterized by profilometry (Dektak). (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.