Modeling of optical, transport, and thermodynamic properties of Al metal irradiated by intense femtosecond laser pulses

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical model for the interaction of intense femtosecond laser pulses with aluminum, describing plasma dynamics and comparing simulations with experimental data to reveal properties of the plasma.

Contribution

It introduces a two-temperature equation of state model for laser-irradiated aluminum, enabling detailed analysis of plasma formation, expansion, and transport properties.

Findings

Good agreement between simulation and experimental reflection data

Revealed transport coefficients of strongly coupled aluminum plasma

Provided insights into absorption capacity at various conditions

Abstract

A theoretical model is developed for the interaction of intense femtosecond laser pulses with solid targets on the basis of the two-temperature equation of state for an irradiated substance. It allows the description of the dynamics of the plasma formation and expansion. Comparison of available experimental data on the amplitude and phase of the complex reflection coefficient of aluminum with the simulation results provides new information on the transport coefficients and absorption capacity of the strongly coupled Al plasma over a wide range of temperatures and pressures.