• Laser Solutions
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.12-17
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• 2015

This work performed numerical analysis of electromagnetic field and thermal phenomena occurring in femtosecond laser irradiation of silver nanowires. The local electric field enhancement was computed to calculate the optical energy dissipation as a Joule heating source and the thermal transport was analysed based on the two-temperature model (TTM). Electron temperature increased up to 1000K after 50fs and its spatial distribution became homogeneous after 80fs at the fluence of 100mJ/cm2. The result of this work is expected to contribute to revealing the photothermal effects on silver nanowires induced by femtosecond laser irradiation. Although the highest increase of lattice temperature was substantially below the melting point of silver, the experimental results showed resolidification and fragmentation of the silver nanowire into nanoparticles, which cannot be explained by the photothermal mechanism. Further studies are thus needed to clarify the physical mechanisms.