Two-Dimensional Effects in Laser Ablation of Carbon

Abstract

This article studies the importance of two-dimensional effects in laser ablation of carbon. It describes the process by using the kinetic theory model of laser ablation based on the moment solution of the Boltzmann equation for arbitrary strong evaporation, and compares the predictions of the full two-dimensional model and of the two other models that use quasi-one-dimensional approximation in the solid or in the gas. All models estimate the total ablated mass reasonably well. However, comparison of their predictions shows that, surprisingly, two-dimensional effects are more important for the heat transfer in the solid than for the gas dynamics.