CC BY
20LMI-I-24
High-precision simulations of interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with bulk bandgap materials
V. P. Zhukov123, N. M. Bulgakova1
1HiLASE Centre, Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolni Brezany, Czech Republic
2Institute of Computational Technologies, Siberian Branch RAS, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
3Novosibirsk State Technical University, Physical-Technical Faculty, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
Numerical modeling has proven to be a powerful tool for investigations of laser-matter interaction. It enables to gain insight into dynamic interplay of multiplicity of processes triggered by laser light and to identify the main factors and processes influencing efficient laser energy coupling to materials. In this report, modeling aspects of interaction of femtosecond laser pulses with transparent materials will be discussed for the regimes of volumetric modification. The advantages of the model based on nonlinear Maxwell's equations supplemented by the hydrodynamic equations for free electron plasma [1,2] will be addressed. The typical difficulties of such kind models associated with the construction of the finite-difference scheme, the boundary conditions for incoming laser beam (especially for the cases of tight focusing inside the bulk and very short pulse durations), the description of elementary processes in the conductive zone where free-electron plasma is excited (collision time, photo- and impact ionization, recombination) will be outlined. The problems of accuracy of numerical schemes will be touched and the limiting factors for the application of a simplified approach based on nonlinear Schrödinger equation will be analyzed [3]. Finally, the possibilities and peculiarities of simulations of laser beam propagation in transparent materials will be considered for the cases of multi-pulse irradiation [2] as well as for dichromatic laser pulses.
References
[1] N. M. Bulgakova, V. P. Zhukov, S.V. Sonina, and Y. P. Meshcheryakov, Modification of transparent materials with ultrashort laser pulses: What is energetically and mechanically meaningful? J. Appl. Phys. 118, 233108 (2015).
[2] V.P. Zhukov, S. Akturk, N. M. Bulgakova, Asymmetric interactions induced by spatio-temporal couplings of femtosecond laser pulses in transparent media, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 36, 1556-1564 (2019).
[3] V. P. Zhukov, N. M. Bulgakova, M. P. Fedoruk, Nonlinear Maxwell's and Schrodinger equations for describing the volumetric interaction of femtosecond laser pulses with transparent solid dielectrics: effect of the boundary conditions, J. Opt. Technol. 84, 439-446 (2017).
