Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Energetic Ar Cluster Bombardment of Ag(111)

G. Palkaa, L. Rzeznikb, R. Parucha and Z. Postawaa aInstitute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland bUniversity of Information Technology and Management, Rzeszów, Poland

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Large-scale molecular dynamics computer simulations are used to investigate the dynamics of material ejection during high-energy Arn cluster bombardment of Ag(111) at normal incidence. The silver sample containing 7 million atoms is bombarded with Arn projectiles (n=45-30000) with kinetic energy spanning from a few keV up to 1 MeV. Such a wide range of projectile parameters allows probing processes taking place during low-density collision cascade as well as during high-density events characteristic of micrometeorite bombardment in space. The material modifications and total sputtering yield of ejected particles are investigated. While at low-energy impacts, ejection of individual silver atoms is the main emission channel, the ejection of large clusters from the corona of the created crater dominates for the high-energy impacts.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.123.831 PACS numbers: 68.49.Sf, 82.80.Ms, 83.10.Rs, 79.20.Rf