Advanced modeling of short and ultrashort laser irradiation
of metals in micro-nano down to sub-atomic scale

Alexopoulou, Vasiliki; :Αλεξοπούλου, Βασιλική

dc.contributor.author	Alexopoulou, Vasiliki
dc.contributor.author	:Αλεξοπούλου, Βασιλική
dc.date.accessioned	2025-09-22T10:05:02Z
dc.date.available	2025-09-22T10:05:02Z
dc.identifier.uri	https://dspace.lib.ntua.gr/xmlui/handle/123456789/62542
dc.identifier.uri	http://dx.doi.org/10.26240/heal.ntua.30238
dc.rights	Αναφορά Δημιουργού-Μη Εμπορική Χρήση-Όχι Παράγωγα Έργα 3.0 Ελλάδα	*
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/gr/	*
dc.subject	laser-matter interactions	en
dc.subject	laser-driven particle acceleration	en
dc.subject	unified heat transfer-hydrodynamic-electromagnetic model	en
dc.subject	open-source code	en
dc.subject	atomic and close-to-atomic scale manufacturing	en
dc.subject	αλληλεπιδράσεις λέιζερ-ύλης	el
dc.subject	επιτάχυνση σωματιδίων με λέιζερ	el
dc.subject	ενοποιημένο θερμικό-υδροδυναμικό-ηλεκτρομαγνητικό μοντέλο	el
dc.subject	μοντέλο ανοιχτού κώδικα	el
dc.subject	ατομικές και σχεδόν ατομικές κατεργασίες	el
dc.title	Advanced modeling of short and ultrashort laser irradiation of metals in micro-nano down to sub-atomic scale	en
dc.title	Μοντελοποίηση ακτινοβόλησης μετάλλων με λέιζερ βραχέων και υπερβραχέων παλμών σε μικρο-νάνο έως υπο-ατομική κλίμακα	el
dc.contributor.department	Laboratory of Manufacturing Technology	el
heal.type	doctoralThesis
heal.classification	Mechanical engineering	en
heal.language	en
heal.access	free
heal.recordProvider	ntua	el
heal.publicationDate	2025-07-04
heal.abstract	This PhD thesis focuses on modeling the interaction of short and ultrashort laser pulses with metals, progressively examining three key physical processes: energy transfer and material ejection at the micro- and nanoscale, plasma formation and expansion, and ultimately, laser-driven particle acceleration at the sub-atomic scale. These three stages – heat transfer, hydrodynamics and electromagnetism – when combined in pairs, can simulate a range of micro-/nano-manufacturing and non-conventional processing techniques. Specifically, the combination of the heat transfer and hydrodynamic models allows for the simulation of thermal diffusion and ablation dynamics during micro-cutting, while the coupling of hydrodynamics and electromagnetism simulates the initial phases (plasma formation and expansion) of pulsed laser deposition (PLD). In PLD, intense laser pulses irradiate a solid target, producing a plasma plume whose ejected species condense on a substrate to form functional thin films. The integration of all three models into a single, unified simulation framework enables the modeling of laser-driven particle accelerators, representing an advanced application at the cutting edge of today’s manufacturing technologies. These accelerators utilize ultra-intense laser pulses to accelerate charged particles within a plasma environment and serve as an advanced tool for atomic and close-to-atomic scale manufacturing (ACSM). This domain includes processes such as ion implantation, defect engineering, irradiation-assisted nanostructuring, etc., where ultra-precise control over energy delivery and spatial resolution is required – capabilities that conventional tooling struggles to achieve. While laser-driven particle accelerators have been explored for various applications, this thesis centers on their role as transformative tools in ACSM. Their ability to deliver high-energy, high-resolution beams offers a breakthrough solution to one of the central limitations in the field: the inadequacy and inefficiency of current tools to process matter with atomic-scale precision. The unified model developed herein provides a foundational simulation framework to support the design, optimization and deployment of these next-generation manufacturing tools. To study these phenomena, here an open-source computational model is developed as part of this doctoral research, simulating the interaction mechanism of short and ultrashort laser pulses with metallic targets. The model includes laser sources that span the full range of energy densities – from low to high – and incorporates the physical processes that govern heat transfer, hydrodynamic and electromagnetic effects. This enables precise modeling of the entire laser-driven acceleration mechanism and allows the model to be adapted for various ACSM applications. Furthermore, the model has been validated both in its individual components (heat transfer, hydrodynamic and electromagnetic models) and as a whole, through comparison with experimental data from the following laser facilities: TITAN/Jupiter Laser Facility – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, TPW/Texas Petawatt Laser Facility – University of Texas at Austin, OMEGA EP/Laboratory for Laser Energetics – University of Rochester, ORION/Orion Laser Facility – Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE). Simultaneously, the model’s capabilities for predictive modeling and optimization are being tested using experimental data from the laser facility: L4f ATON laser/Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI Beamlines) – Extreme Light Infrastructure European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ELI ERIC). In this thesis, the full open-source code is presented, so this dissertation can also serve as documentation for the open-source model, offering a valuable tool for the research community studying laser-matter interactions. The model is given here in Appendix B. The source code presented in Appendix B is released under the GNU General Public License version 3 (GPLv3). See the license notice and full text included in section B.4 of Appendix B. If you use this code in your research, please cite it according to this thesis as follows: Alexopoulou, V. Advanced modeling of short and ultrashort laser irradiation of metals in micro-nano down to sub-atomic scale. PhD thesis. National Technical University of Athens, 2025. Additionally, the computational and theoretical analyses resulting from this research have been published in three peer-reviewed scientific papers, with a fourth currently under review.	en
heal.sponsor	Research Committee (ELKE NTUA) Scholarship	en
heal.advisorName	Μαρκόπουλος, Άγγελος
heal.committeeMemberName	Παπαευθυμίου, Σπυρίδων
heal.committeeMemberName	Kac, Slawomir
heal.committeeMemberName	Αναγνωστάκης, Μάριος
heal.committeeMemberName	Βοσνιάκος, Γεώργιος-Χριστόφορος
heal.committeeMemberName	Κορωνάκη, Ειρήνη
heal.committeeMemberName	Παπαγιάννης, Αλέξανδρος
heal.academicPublisher	Σχολή Μηχανολόγων Μηχανικών	el
heal.academicPublisherID	ntua
heal.numberOfPages	361
heal.fullTextAvailability	false