A Tabletop Method for Generating Hypervelocity Micron-Scale Particles

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Abstract
Hypervelocity micron-scale particles constitute an important fraction of space dust populations and are of particular interest in space technology research, yet theirgeneration under laboratory conditions remains challenging. Here, we develop atabletop laser-driven microparticle acceleration method based on a dual-functionmicroparticle target and a joule-level pulsed laser. The particle velocities are measuredusing a photomultiplier tube (PMT)-based time-of-flight method. The measurementsdemonstrate that 1 μm-diameter tungsten particles can be accelerated to velocities ofup to 7.1 km s-1. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration oftabletop access to the hypervelocity regime for micron-scale particles. A physicalmodel is proposed to describe the acceleration process, and the dependence ofmicroparticle beam duration on target coating thickness is consistent with the modelprediction. This work provides a practical tabletop method for generating hypervelocitymicron-scale particles, supporting laboratory-scale simulations of hypervelocity dustimpacts for spacecraft materials research.

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