A Multiphase Model for pulsed ns-Laser Ablation of Copper in an ambient Gas

Laser ablation in an ambient gas is nowadays used in a growing number of applications, such as chemical analysis and pulsed laser deposition. Despite the many applications, the technique is still poorly understood. Therefore models describing the material evolution in time during short pulse laser irradiation can be helpful to unravel the puzzle and finally result in the optimization of the related applications. In the present work, a copper target is immersed in helium, initially set at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. Calculations are performed for a Gaussian-shaped laser pulse with a wavelength of 532 nm, full width at half maximum of 6 ns, and laser fluences up to 10 J/cm(2). In order to describe the transient behaviour in and above the copper target, hydrodynamic equations are solved. An internal energy method accounting for pressure relaxation is applied for the description of the target. In the plume domain a set of conservation equations is solved, assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium. Calculated crater depths and transmission profiles are compared with experimental results and similar trends are found. Our calculations indicate that for the laser fluence regime under study, explosive boiling could play a fundamental role in the plasma formation of metals under ns-pulsed laser irradiation.