Direct Testing against Experiment of a Fundamental Ultrashort Pulse Laser Damage Simulation Technique with Utility for the Modeling of Nanostructure Formation

Abstract

We have developed the first laser damage simulation algorithm capable of determining crater and surface modification morphology from microscopic physics. Rapid progress in the field of high intensity ultrafast lasers has enabled its utility in a myriad of applications. Simulation plays an important role in this research by allowing for closer analysis of the physical mechanisms involved, but current techniques struggle to meet both the spatial scope or resolution requirements for modeling such dynamics, typically specializing in one or the other. Consequently, it is difficult to extract the physical form of the laser induced surface modification, hampering direct comparison of simulation to experimental results. Our algorithm offers a compromise to existing simulation techniques and enables the production of a complete density profile in addition to the simulation of intermediate dynamics. We use this capability to directly test our simulation against experimentally produced copper craters. Additionally, we show how our algorithm can be used to model the formation of surface roughness and nanoparticles.