Web Release Date: November 5,
Sputtering of Water Ice Induced by C60 Bombardment: Onset of Plume Formation
Department of Chemistry, 104 Chemistry Building, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
Received: August 11, 2005
In Final Form: October 6, 2005
Abstract:
The interaction of a 5 keV C60 projectile with amorphous water ice is studied using molecular dynamics computer simulations. The energetic C60 molecule causes large-scale collisional events in the subsurface region, involving more than 104 water molecules in a time of less than 3 ps. The energy deposited in the sample is sufficiently large to turn the ice into a superheated and superdense gas. The gas is expelled into the vacuum, leading to the formation of a flow that manifests itself in the angular and velocity distributions of emitted water molecules.
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