Sputtering of Water Ice Induced by C60 Bombardment: Onset of Plume Formation

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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.