Absorption coefficient of aluminum near the critical point and the consequences on high-power nanosecond laser ablation

During nanosecond laser ablation, the absorption coefficient determines the laser energy deposition in the target, the accurate knowledge of which near the material critical point is crucial for understanding the fundamental physics of high-power nanosecond laser ablation. In this letter, the absorption coefficient of aluminum near the critical point is calculated through the Drude model based on the measured electrical conductivity data, and its effect on laser ablation is investigated numerically using a heat transfer model. The result supports the experimental observations that phase explosion occurs for the ablation of aluminum by sufficiently intense laser pulses, and the model predicted phase explosion threshold is consistent with experimental measurements.