Laser-Matter Interactions of Uniform Spheroid Nanoclusters using Molecular Dynamics Code

This work is inspired by the observation of preferential ionization at the poles in spherical clusters. Therefore, one would expect anisotropy to emerge from an asymmetric shape as the polarization angle of the laser is varied. Here, the behavior of spheroid gas-phase Ar₁₅₀₀ nanoclusters under intense 100fs laser light was analyzed. Molecular Dynamics code written in Fortran was used to simulate the system. The primary outcomes were maximum ion energetics and free electron yield after 1 picosecond. Maximum ion energy exceeds twice that of spherical cluster for prolate (α=4) case of the same volume. The theoretical underpinnings of the anisotropy may be revealed by analytically calculating the dipole field of the material. The results of this project do not exist in current literature, so their impact may lead to further investigation. There are some biomolecules approximated as spheroids, so these results may further our knowledge about their interactions with light.