Ultrafast melting and resolidification of gold particle irradiated by pico- to femtosecond lasers

Ultrafast melting and resolidification of a submicron gold particle subject to pico- to femtosecond laser pulse are studied in this paper. The nonequilibrium heat transfer in the electrons and lattice is described using a two-temperature model, and the locations of the solid-liquid interface are determined using an interfacial tracking method. The interfacial velocity, as well as elevated melting temperature and depressed solidification temperature, is obtained by considering the interfacial energy balance and nucleation dynamics. The results showed that the maximum melting depth, peak interfacial temperature, and velocity increase with the decreasing particle size and pulse width or with the increasing laser fluence. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.