Pulsed laser ablation of metals in vacuum: DSMC study versus experiment

We propose a hybrid model describing the processes of heating and ablation of a metal target with expansion of vaporized material into a vacuum under the action of nanosecond laser pulses of moderate intensity. The model is based on the integration of the thermal problem of laser-induced material heating and the direct Monte Carlo simulation method to describe the hydrodynamics of the ablation products. Modeling has been performed for niobium as an example and the results obtained are in good agreement with experimental data on mass removal and time-of-flight (TOF) measurements. Application of the commonly used fitting procedures for characterization of the laser plume parameters by the TOF signal is discussed.