We present an extensive experimental study of the photothermal signal produced by subsurface cylinders immersed in opaque solids. The results provided by three different modulated photothermal techniques (thermoreflectance, infrared radiometry, and mirage) for a variety of sample and cylinder thermal properties show very good agreement with the theoretical models presented in Part I of this work. A single subsurface cylinder can be quantitatively characterized by means of photothermal measurements (i.e., the determination of its size, depth, orientation, and thermal properties). We also present experimental data on a series of buried cylinders parallel to the surface that show multiple-scattering effects on the incident thermal wave. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.