Surface engineering by rogue wave induced by energetic carbon clusters

Abstract

Swift heavy ions are effective in nanostructuring material surfaces. The irradiation of lanthanum fluoride with 30 MeV C60 leads to the creation of surface nanohillocks of size larger than the ones produced by monoatomic heavy ions. The generation of the observed nano-sized hillocks is described here by a new approach that is based on ion-induced intensive electronic excitations that create localized rogue waves. Consequently, the induced nonlinear ion-acoustic rogue waves are considered a hallmark of nanohillock formation. Plasma hydrodynamic equations produce a relationship between normalised electron number density and crystal lattice spacing. Similarities to the hillock profile suggest the crucial primary role of electron density in the fabrication of surface nanostructures.