Modeling ultrashort-pulse laser ablation of dielectric materials

An approach to modeling ablation thresholds and depths in dielectric materials is proposed. The model is based on the multiple-rate-equation description suggested by Rethfeld [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 187401 (2004)]. This model has been extended to include a description of the propagation of the light into the dielectric sample. The generic model is based on only a few experimental quantities that characterize the native material. A Drude model describing the evolution of the dielectric constant owing to an excitation of the electrons in the material is applied. The model is compared to experimental ablation data for different dielectric materials from the literature.