ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the results obtained in Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of laser ablation of metal targets in vacuum, a high-pressure background gas, and a liquid environment. It discusses the computational methodology developed for MD simulations of laser interactions with metal targets. The chapter focuses on a computationally efficient description of the ablation plume interaction with the background gas and liquid environment. It reviews the relatively well-established mechanisms of laser ablation in vacuum by the results of large-scale MD simulations. The chapter discusses the effect of the background gas on the dynamics of the ablation plume and nanoparticle size distribution. It describes the results of the MD simulations of laser ablation in water. The chapter describes the effect of the background gas and liquid environment on the mechanisms of nanoparticle generation. The general picture of laser ablation in liquids is very different from the one in vacuum.
