Experimental And Theoretical Studies On The Dynamics Of Transient Plasma Plumes Generated By Laser Ablation In Various Temporal Regimes

Laser ablation methods exhibit a fast development in various application fields, as materials processing, medicine, nuclear fusion or analytical sciences. Despite important advances in the knowledge of the complex laser-matter interactions involved in this process, there is still need for better fundamental understanding and modeling. The aim of this work was to experimentally and theoretically investigate the dynamics of transient plasmas generated by laser ablation in various regimes (ns, ps, fs), and to try to correlate the observed behavior with the physical properties of the ablated materials We implemented space- and time-resolved optical, spectroscopic and electrical methods for the study of single-component metallic targets and of complex chalcogenide targets. This led to a space-time mapping of the main plasma parameters. The study performed in actual Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) conditions revealed some peculiar effects like ionic oscillations or plume reflection at the substrate. A compact fractal hydrodynamic model was developed to simulate the laser-produced plasma dynamics. The theoretical model accurately describes the spatial and temporal evolution of the main plasma parameters (electronic temperature, expansion velocities, particle number density, Debye length, plasma potential). We report for the first time empirical relations connecting these plasma parameters with the physical properties (electrical/thermal conductivity, atomic mass, heat of vaporization) of the target. These relationships transcend all three ablation regimes (ns, ps, fs).