Measurement of Thermodynamic Parameters of Graphite by Pulsed-Laser Melting and Ion Channeling

Abstract

The effect of 30-ns, 6943-\AA{}, high-power laser irradiation on the surface of pristine and ion-implanted graphite has been studied by Rutherford-backscattering channeling spectrometry (RBS). The experimental results are explained by a model in which at a threshold energy density of 0.6 J/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ the graphite surface melts, and the melt-depth measurements provide a simple estimate of the melting temperature (\ensuremath{\sim} 4300 K) and the latent heat of fusion of graphite (\ensuremath{\sim} 16 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 5 kcal/mol).