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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 379 records · Page 21
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Femtosecond laser ablation of polymethylmethacrylate via dual-color synthesized waveform

We have demonstrated the laser ablation of PMMA using dual-color waveform synthesis of the fundamental (ω) and its second-harmonic (2ω) of a femtosecond Ti:Sapphire laser. A modest and yet clear modulation (∼22%) in ablated area versus relative phase between the 2ω and ω beams with a power-ratio of 15% (28/183 mW) is revealed. This is explained qualitatively by the dependence of ablation on multiphoton ionization of which the rate is related to the relative phase of the synthesized waveform. At higher peak power ratios, the modulation decreases rapidly, as the two-photon-ionization rate of the 2ω dominates over that of the three- to four- photon ionization of the ω beam. This technique demonstrates the feasibility of phase-controlled laser processing of materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

An improved three-dimensional two-temperature model for multi-pulse femtosecond laser ablation of aluminum

In this paper, an improved three-dimensional two-temperature model for multi-pulse femtosecond laser ablation of aluminum was proposed and proved in our experiment. Aiming to achieve hole-drilling with a high ratio of depth/entrance diameter in vacuum, this model can predict the depth and radius of the drilled holes precisely when employing different laser parameters. Additionally, for multi-pulse laser ablation, we found that the laser fluence and number of pulses are the dominant parameters and the multi-pulse ablation threshold is much lower than the single-pulse one, which will help to obtain high-quality holes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

A unified model to determine the energy partitioning between target and plasma in nanosecond laser ablation of silicon

In semiconductor industry, pulsed nanosecond lasers are widely applied for the separation of silicon wafers. Here, the high intensities employed activate a cascade of complex multi-physical and multi-phase mechanisms, which finally result in the formation of a laser induced plasma, shielding the target from the incoming laser beam. Such induced plasma plume, by preventing the laser to effectively reach the target, reduces the overall efficiency and controllability of the ablation process. Modelling can be a useful tool in the optimization of industrial laser applications, allowing a deeper understanding of the way the laser energy distributes between target and induced plasma. Nevertheless, the highly multi-physical character of laser ablation poses serious challenges on the implementation of the various mechanisms underlying the process within a common modelling framework. A novel strategy is here proposed in order to simulate in a simplified, yet physically consistent way, a typical industrial application as laser ablation of silicon wafers. Reasonable agreement with experimental findings is obtained. Three fundamental mechanisms have been identified as the main factors influencing the accuracy of the numerical predictions: the transition from evaporative to volumetric mass removal occurring at critical temperature, the collisional and radiative processes underlying the initial plasma formation stage and the increased impact of the liquid ejection mechanism when a sub-millimeter laser footprint is used.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

The effects of pulse duration on ablation pressure driven by laser radiation

The effects of laser pulse duration on the ablation pressure induced by laser radiation are investigated using Al target. Numerical simulation results using one dimensional radiation hydro code for laser intensities from 5×10{sup 12}W/cm{sup 2} to 5×10{sup 13}W/cm{sup 2} and pulse durations from 0.5 ns to 20 ns are presented. These results suggest that the laser intensity scaling law of ablation pressure differs for different pulse durations. And the theoretical analysis shows that the effects of laser pulse duration on ablation pressure are mainly caused by two regimes: the unsteady-state flow and the radiative energy loss to vacuum.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

X-ray microtomography and laser ablation in the analysis of ink distribution in coated paper

A novel method was developed for studying the ink-paper interface and the structural variations of a deposited layer of ink. Combining high-resolution x-ray tomography with laser ablation, the depth profile of ink (toner), i.e., its varying thickness, could be determined in a paper substrate. X-ray tomography was used to produce the 3D structure of paper with about 1 μm spatial resolution. Laser ablation combined with optical imaging was used to produce the 3D structure of the printed layer of ink on top of that paper with about 70 nm depth resolution. Ablation depth was calibrated with an optical profilometer. It can be concluded that a toner layer on a light-weight-coated paper substrate was strongly perturbed by protruding fibers of the base paper. Such fibers together with the surface topography of the base paper seem to be the major factors that control the leveling of toner and its penetration into a thinly coated paper substrate.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Ablation dynamics in wire array Z-pinches under modifications on global magnetic field topology

The dynamics of ablation streams and precursor plasma in cylindrical wire array Z-pinches under temporal variations of the global magnetic field topology is investigated through experiments and numerical simulations. The wire arrays in these experiments are modified by replacing a pair of consecutive wires with wires of a larger diameter. This modification leads to two separate effects, both of which impact the dynamics of the precursor plasma; firstly, current is unevenly distributed between the wires and secondly, the thicker wires take longer to fully ablate. The uneven distribution of current is evidenced in the experiments by the drift of the precursor off axis due to a variation in the global magnetic field topology which modifies the direction of the ablation streams tracking the precursor position. The variation of the global magnetic field due to the presence of thick wires is studied with three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations, showing that the global field changes from the expected toroidal field to a temporally variable topology after breakages appear in the thin wires. This leads to an observed acceleration of the precursor column towards the region closer to the thick wires and later, when thick wires also present breakages, it continues moving away from the original array position as a complicated and disperse object subject to MHD instabilities.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Thermal infrared images to quantify thermal ablation effects of acid and base on target tissues

Hyperthermia (42-46°C), treatment of tumor tissue through elevated temperature, offers several advantages including high cost-effectiveness, highly targeted ablation and fewer side effects and hence higher safety level over traditional therapies such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Recently, hyperthermia using heat release through exothermic acid-base neutralization comes into view owing to its relatively safe products of salt and water and highly confined ablation. However, lack of quantitative understanding of the spatial and temporal temperature profiles that are produced by simultaneous diffusion of liquid chemical and its chemical reaction within tumor tissue impedes the application of this method. This article is dedicated to quantify thermal ablation effects of acid and base both individually and as in neutralization via infrared captured thermal images. A theoretical model is used to approximate specific heat absorption rate (SAR) based on experimental measurements that contrast two types of tissue, normal pork and pig liver. According to the computation, both pork and liver tissue has a higher ability in absorbing hydrochloric acid (HCl) than sodium hydroxide, hence suggesting that a reduced dosage for HCl is appropriate in a surgery. The heating effect depends heavily on the properties of tissue types and amount of chemical reagents administered. Given thermal parameters such as SAR for different tissues, a computational model can be made in predicting temperature transitions which will be helpful in planning and optimizing surgical hyperthermia procedures.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Control of laser-ablation plasma potential with external electrodes

The potential of a laser-ablation plasma was controlled stably up to +2 kV by using external ring electrodes. A stable electron sheath was formed between the plasma and the external electrodes by placing the ring electrodes away from the boundary of the drifting plasma. The plasma kept the potential for a few μs regardless of the flux change of the ablation plasma. We also found that the plasma potential changed with the expansion angle of the plasma from the target. By changing the distance between the plasma boundary and the external electrodes, we succeeded in controlling the potential of laser-ablation plasma.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Deviation from threshold model in ultrafast laser ablation of graphene at sub-micron scale

We investigate a method to measure ultrafast laser ablation threshold with respect to spot size. We use structured complex beams to generate a pattern of craters in CVD graphene with a single laser pulse. A direct comparison between beam profile and SEM characterization allows us to determine the dependence of ablation probability on spot-size, for crater diameters ranging between 700 nm and 2.5 μm. We report a drastic decrease of ablation probability when the crater diameter is below 1 μm which we interpret in terms of free-carrier diffusion.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Contribution of material’s surface layer on charge state distribution in laser ablation plasma

To generate laser ablation plasma, a pulse laser is focused onto a solid target making a crater on the surface. However, not all the evaporated material is efficiently converted to hot plasma. Some portion of the evaporated material could be turned to low temperature plasma or just vapor. To investigate the mechanism, we prepared an aluminum target coated by thin carbon layers. Then, we measured the ablation plasma properties with different carbon thicknesses on the aluminum plate. The results showed that C{sup 6+} ions were generated only from the surface layer. The deep layers (over 250 nm from the surface) did not provide high charge state ions. On the other hand, low charge state ions were mainly produced by the deeper layers of the target. Atoms deeper than 1000 nm did not contribute to the ablation plasma formation.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Time-resolved analysis of thickness-dependent dewetting and ablation of silver films upon nanosecond laser irradiation

Nanosecond pulsed laser dewetting and ablation of thin silver films is investigated by time-resolved imaging. Laser pulses of 532 nm wavelength and 5 ns temporal width are irradiated on silver films of different thicknesses (50 nm, 80 nm, and 350 nm). Below the ablation threshold, it is observed that the dewetting process does not conclude until 630 ns after the laser irradiation for all samples, forming droplet-like particles in the spot central region. At higher laser intensities, ablative material removal occurs in the spot center. Cylindrical rims are formed in the peripheral dewetting zone due to the solidification of transported matter at about 700 ns following the laser pulse exposure. In addition to these features, droplet fingers are superposed upon irradiation of 350-nm thick silver films with higher intensity.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Demonstration of periodic nanostructure formation with less ablation by double-pulse laser irradiation on titanium

By pairing femtosecond laser pulses (duration ∼40 fs and central wavelength ∼810 nm) at an appropriate time interval, a laser-induced periodic surface structure (LIPSS) is formed with much less ablation than one formed with a single pulse. On a titanium plate, a pair of laser pulses with fluences of 70 and 140 mJ/cm{sup 2} and a rather large time interval (>10 ps) creates a LIPSS with an interspace of 600 nm, the same as that formed by a single pulse of 210 mJ/cm{sup 2}, while the double pulse ablates only 4 nm, a quarter of the ablation depth of a single pulse.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Numerical studies of wall–plasma interactions and ionization phenomena in an ablative pulsed plasma thruster

Wall–plasma interactions excited by ablation controlled arcs are very critical physical processes in pulsed plasma thrusters (PPTs). Their effects on the ionization processes of ablated vapor into discharge plasma directly determine PPT performances. To reveal the physics governing the ionization phenomena in PPT discharge, a modified model taking into account the pyrolysis effect of heated polytetrafluoroethylene propellant on the wall–plasma interactions was developed. The feasibility of the modified model was analyzed by creating a one-dimensional simulation of a rectangular ablative PPT. The wall–plasma interaction results based on this modified model were found to be more realistic than for the unmodified model; this reflects the dynamic changes of the inflow parameters during discharge in our model. Furthermore, the temporal and spatial variations of the different plasma species in the discharge chamber were numerically studied. The numerical studies showed that polytetrafluoroethylene plasma was mainly composed of monovalent ions; carbon and fluorine ions were concentrated in the upstream and downstream discharge chamber, respectively. The results based on this modified model were in good agreement with the experimental formation times of the various plasma species. A large number of short-lived and highly ionized carbon and fluorine species (divalent and trivalent ions) were created during initial discharge. These highly ionized species reached their peak density earlier than the singly ionized species.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Nonintrusive manufactured solutions for ablation

The study of heat transfer and ablation plays an important role in many problems of scientific and engineering interest. As with the computational simulation of any physical phenomenon, the first step toward establishing credibility in ablation simulations involves code verification. Code verification is typically performed using exact and manufactured solutions. However, manufactured solutions generally require the invasive introduction of an artificial forcing term within the source code such that the code solves a modified problem for which the solution is known. In this paper, we present a nonintrusive method for manufacturing solutions for a non-decomposing ablation code, which does not require the addition of a source term.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Spatio-temporal ablation dynamics and plasma chemistry of aluminum induced by temporally modulated ytterbium fiber laser

Here, in this work, we studied single-pulse ablation dynamics of a temporally modulated continuous wave laser-material interaction with Al using in situ multimodal time-resolved diagnostics that describe in detail the associated physical and chemical processes. Time-resolved scattering, emission imaging, and optical emission spectroscopy unveiled a sequence of events spread out across three distinct phases: (i) early phase ablation process, associated with particle generation and liquid Al column formation (<20 μs), (ii) secondary detonation when sufficient ejected material is accumulated over the surface (20-50 μs), and (iii) molten liquid Al pool oscillation on the surface, followed by large droplet ejection from the liquid pool (100-500 μs). Atomic Al and AlO were observed with optical emission spectroscopy at different ratios during the entire lifetime of the event, verifying the formation of oxidized Al vapor upon its interaction with air. Morphological and compositional characterization confirmed surface oxidation and material re-solidification in the form of protrusions produced during the irradiation process. This work provides insights into the complex physical and chemical mechanisms of single-pulse ablation in the sub-millisecond laser pulse regime, which are critically important for parameter optimization in a variety of laser processing, microfabrication, and deposition applications.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fast imaging of laser ablation of cerium: Dependence of plasma plume dynamics and structure on native oxide growth

We have imaged the evolution of plasma following nanosecond pulsed laser ablation of cerium in air with sub-10 ns resolution. We find the ablated plasma plume expansion and shape to be strongly dependent on the time after mechanical polishing of the sample surface. After an initial shock front common to both new and aged samples (velocities up to 16 km s ₋1 ), we observe a second front that is relatively localized to the surface vicinity of newly polished samples, but in the case of older samples it moves outward at velocities of up to 4 km s ₋1 . We attribute this behavior to the formation and growth of a native oxide layer on the order of hours after polishing. These results demonstrate that plasma imaging can be used to diagnose the presence of, and evaluate the extent of, thin surface oxides or other compounds that form soon after exposure to some atmosphere. These findings also highlight the need to explicitly consider the presence of such overlayers when modeling laser/metal interaction, when making measurements of vapor phase chemistry, and when analyzing the composition, phase, and morphology of solid particulates formed after the ablation of reactive metals.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Development of an ultrafast wide-field microscope for single-shot laser-driven shock and ablation studies

We build an ultrafast wide-field microscope that captures single-shot events at near-optical diffraction limit for time-resolved studies of ablation and shock compression. Here, we provide insights on how the imaging and spectroscopic modalities of our single-shot microscope are impacted by the depth of field of a microscope objective. At high spatial resolution, the depth of field can critically impede these experiments and novel strategies must be implemented to acquire high-quality optical micrographs at high throughput. Here, we highlight how custom lithography-prepared samples enable us to rectify optical artifacts that arise during sample motion. With a complete knowledge of how the mechanical and optical components couple together, we can then extract critical spatial and temporal features of our ablation and shock compression experiments. For example, during the ablation processes, we show that shock waves created in metal thin films form Newton’s interference rings, whose evolution can be recorded with picosecond temporal resolution and at near optical diffraction-limit resolution.

Ultrafast microscopy↗
DOE OSTI2025

Optimizing ablator thickness for laser shock experiments

In laser shock experiments, a well-defined, flat-top shock wave at the ablator/sample interface is important for accurately probing material response under uniaxial strain compression. However, the relationship between the ablator thickness and the resulting shock wave characteristics is insufficiently understood, limiting the ability to design optimal experiments. To address this need, we conducted a systematic experimental study using a 100 J laser to shock-compress polyimide ablators to peak stresses ranging from 20.4 to 111.6 GPa. Laser interferometry diagnostics measured the transmitted wave profiles at the ablator/sample interface, consistently showing a single jump followed by a constant peak state before the arrival of release waves. Here, by analyzing shock transit time, flat-top duration, and stress, our results establish a framework for selecting ablator thickness to maximize the flat-top duration, improving the precision and reproducibility of laser shock experiments.

design of experiments↗