Surface engineering by rogue wave induced by energetic carbon clusters

Abstract Swift heavy ions are effective in nanostructuring material surfaces. The irradiation of lanthanum fluoride with 30 MeV C 60 leads to the creation of surface nanohillocks of size larger than the ones produced by monoatomic heavy ions. The generation of the observed nano-sized hillocks is described here by a new approach that is based on ion-induced intensive electronic excitations that create localized rogue waves. Consequently, the induced nonlinear ion-acoustic rogue waves are considered a hallmark of nanohillock formation. Plasma hydrodynamic equations produce a relationship between normalised electron number density and crystal lattice spacing. Similarities to the hillock profile suggest the crucial primary role of electron density in the fabrication of surface nanostructures.