Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Crater Formation Induced by Laser Ablation on the Surface of α-Fe Substrate

Abstract

In this study, we employed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate ablation induced by the application of pulsed laser irradiation to a thin α-Fe substrate. We observed several mechanisms underlying the removal of material, including ultrafast melting, cluster ejection, and thermal vaporization. We also examined the effects of laser fluence on the resulting surface morphology as well as the amount of material ablated and deposited around the craters