Study on Laser-induced Plasma under Vacuum based on PIC Simulation

The characteristics of laser-induced plasma exhibit considerable potential for industrial applications in fields such as electrical engineering, environmental monitoring, medical and health sciences, and laser processing, thereby demonstrating significant research value. However, current understanding of the formation and evolution mechanisms of laser-induced plasma remains limited. It is well recognized that both the initial plasma parameters and external environmental conditions play critical roles in determining the behavior of laser-induced plasma. In this study, a numerical model of laser-induced plasma under vacuum conditions was established based on the Particle-in-Cell (PIC) method using the VSim simulation software. The model investigates the dynamic processes of laser-plasma interaction and the associated diffusion characteristics. A two-dimensional spatial domain coupled with three-dimensional momentum space was constructed to simulate the evolution of the pre-formed plasma generated by the interaction between laser pulses and a copper target. To address the challenge of representing an infinite physical space within a finite computational domain, absorbing boundary conditions and the Perfectly Matched Layer (PML) technique were implemented. Convergence verification and validation of the PML absorption coefficients were also conducted to ensure the stability and accuracy of the numerical computations. The simulation results indicate that the proposed model is capable of effectively capturing the early-stage evolution of laser-induced plasma. These findings offer theoretical support for the advancement and application of laser-induced plasma technologies in electrical engineering and related disciplines.