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

The effect of 30-ns, 6943-Å, 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 (∼ 4300 K) and the latent heat of fusion of graphite (∼ 16 ± 5 kcal/mol).