Effect of the spot size on ionization and degree of plasma shielding in plumes induced by irradiation of a copper target by multiple short laser pulses

The plasma plume expansion into argon background gas at atmospheric pressure induced by irradiation of a copper target with a burst of three short laser pulses at 266 nm wavelength is studied numerically for the laser spot diameters ranging from 20 mu m to 500 mu m. The computational model includes a thermal model of the irradiated target and a kinetic model of plume expansion. The kinetic model is implemented in the form of the direct simulation Monte Carlo method that is redesigned to account for ionization and absorption of laser radiation in the plume. The irradiation conditions are chosen to do not induce ionization and absorption during the first pulse in the burst independently of the laser spot size. During the second pulse, the ionization is initiated in the vicinity of the irradiated target behind the shock wave that is generated during that pulse and propagates through the vapor plume created by the preceding pulse. The simulations show that the degree of ionization and plasma shielding during the second and subsequent pulses strongly increases with increasing the laser spot size. It is explained by different rates of expansion between pulses in the plumes generated at various spot sizes. At a relatively small spot size, the rapid drop of density and temperature in the plume induced by the first pulse can preclude plasma ignition during the second and further pulses. These results suggest that the use of lasers with the spot sizes that are in the order of tens of micrometers can be favorable for mitigating the effect of plasma shielding in multi-pulse laser ablation when the plumes induced by individual laser pulses strongly interact with each other.