Exploring the Science of High-Speed Laser Ablation.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have studied the ablation dynamics of copper using gigahertz femtosecond bursts via time-resolved scattering imaging, emission imaging and emission spectroscopy. The combined methods resulted in the fast removal of molten liquid material, while halting material removal after burst irradiation. The researchers obtained direct insights into the dynamics and dominant mechanism of gigahertz ablation with femtosecond pulses. The outcomes provide insights to comprehensively understand ablation mechanisms underlying gigahertz femtosecond bursts that are critical to explore a variety of applications across laser processing, machining, printing and spectroscopic diagnostics.