title: Sputtering of water ice induced by C60 bombardment: onset of plume formation.
abstract: The interaction of a 5 keV C(60) projectile with amorphous water ice is studied using molecular dynamics computer simulations. The energetic C(60) molecule causes large-scale collisional events in the subsurface region, involving more than 10(4) 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Wojciechowski
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Garrison