Animated sequences of snapshots from a molecular dynamics simulation of laser melting

(Click on an image to view animation)


Homogeneous melting in the middle of the irradiated film
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Heterogeneous melting near the back of the irradiated film
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Competition between heterogeneous and homogeneous melting
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Animated sequences of snapshots (can be viewed by clicking on the above images) show the microscopic picture of the melting process in Ni and Au film irradiated with 200 fs laser pulses.  Atoms are colored according to the local order parameter.

A detailed discussion of these and other simulations of laser melting is given in

D. S. Ivanov and L. V. Zhigilei, The effect of pressure relaxation on the mechanisms of short pulse laser melting, Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 105701, 2003.
Full Text: PDF (824 kB)

D. S. Ivanov and L. V. Zhigilei, Combined atomistic-continuum modeling of short pulse laser melting and disintegration of metal films, Phys. Rev. B 68, 064114, 2003.
Full Text: PDF (4.8 MB)

Z. Lin and L. V. Zhigilei, Time-resolved diffraction profiles and atomic dynamics in short pulse laser induced structural transformations: Molecular dynamics study, Phys. Rev. B 73, 184113, 2006.
Full Text: PDF (2.3 MB)

D. S. Ivanov and L. V. Zhigilei, Kinetic limit of heterogeneous melting in metals, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 195701, 2007.
Full Text: PDF (1.7 MB)

L. V. Zhigilei, Z. Lin, and D. S. Ivanov, Atomistic modeling of short pulse laser ablation of metals: Connections between melting, spallation, and phase explosion, J. Phys. Chem. C 113, 11892-11906, 2009.
Full Text: PDF (4.4 MB)

Z. Lin, E. M. Bringa, E. Leveugle, and L. V. Zhigilei, Molecular dynamics simulation of laser melting of nanocrystalline Au, J. Phys. Chem. C 114, 5686-5699, 2010.
Full Text: PDF (8.75 MB)