Fluid simulation of plume head-on collision dynamics during pulsed laser ablation

Abstract

Expansion dynamics of plume after irradiation of the target material is essential to prepare nanoparticles by pulsed laser ablation and it can be modified by collision of two plumes. In the present paper, effect of head-on collision on the expansion dynamics is discussed by numerical simulation based on the fluid dynamics and compared with the experimental results of plume emission. Suppression of plumes by collision with counter plume observed by experiment is reproduced by numerical simulation. Results of the numerical calculation indicate that shockwave induced by the irradiation of the opposite target suppress vapor expansion. The vapors do not mix around the center of the targets when the two targets are irradiated simultaneously and unstable flow is seen when delay between laser pulses was applied for irradiation of two targets. The results of the numerical simulation suggest that formation of combined and alloy nanoparticles are expected for former and latter cases.