Ablation yield and angular distribution of ablated particles from laser-irradiated metals: The most fundamental determining factor

Five metals (Zn, Cu, Ni, Ti, and Mo) were irradiated with 150 shots of a Q-switched Nd:YAG pulsed laser in a vacuum of 10⁻³ torr. The ions projected out of the laser-produced plasma (LPP) plume were detected by CR-39 detectors positioned at −15°, 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90° with respect to the target-surface normal at a distance of 5 cm from the target in each case. The angular distribution of LPP ions, which is characterized by the exponent n of cosⁿ θ distribution, is given by n = 2.5-11 for the five target metals. The value of the exponent n has no systematic correlation with the square-root of atomic mass of the target metals but exhibits systematic dependence on the room temperature Debye-Waller's thermal parameter B or the mean-square amplitude of atomic vibrations 〈u²〉. Likewise, the ablation yield (atoms/shot) of the twelve target metals investigated by Thestrup et al. (2002) 8] under identical irradiation conditions is a function of the room temperature B-factor or 〈u²〉.