Molecular dynamic study of volumetric phase change induced by a femtosecond laser pulse

During the last decade, femtosecond laser has been used for micro-machining of various materials. In this work, the phase change phenomena during femtosecond laser ablation are investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The process of femtosecond laser ablation of nickel is calculated. The temperature and stress history, and the generation and growth of gas bubbles are traced. For different laser pulse fluences, the material ablation process is analysed to reveal the effect of temperature and stress.