High-power laser ablation and planetary events

Abstract

Here we report an experimental study on laser-produced craters using our facility at Milano–Bicocca at low-laser energy and at PALS, Prague, at higher energy to study the possibility of laboratory craters to investigate the planetary events such as meteorite craters. An aluminium foil (100 μ m thick) of density 2.7 g/cc, which could model the earth crest (density∼ 2.67 g/cc), was used as a target. We measured the diameter and depth of the laboratory craters by adopting different techniques viz. laser scanning confocal microscope, focused ion beam and scanning electron microscope for the accuracy of the measurements. We obtained two types of craters in the laboratory viz. simple, which are circular, bowl-shaped depressions with depth-to-diameter ratio ∼ 1:5, and intricate structures resembling complex craters produced due to large meteorites impact on earth and other planets. The contours from the laser-ablated craters could represent the natural meteorite craters on the earth and elsewhere on other terrestrial surfaces.