Short-pulse laser formation of monatomic metallic glass in tantalum nanowire

Abstract

The short-pulse laser heating of a tantalum nanowire is simulated by a hybrid method coupling the two-temperature model into the molecular dynamics. It is shown that the monatomic metallic glasses can be formed by short-pulse lasers. The critical cooling rate for vitrifying the pure metallic liquids in tantalum nanowire is estimated to be on the order of 1013 K s−1. Further simulations with different laser parameters and heated spot size are performed, demonstrating that the short-pulse laser quenching is a robust and promising alternative to the vitrification of monatomic metallic liquids into glassy state.