Abstract
The development of accelerators technology offers a new window for the creation of surface nanostructures in an efficient and accurate way. The use of 30 MeV C60 cluster ions enables the creation of nano-hillocks of size larger than the ones produced by GeV monoatomic ions. The physical mechanism underlying the realization of such nanostructures is elucidated using a plasma expansion approach. Numerical analysis showed that increasing the ionic temperature (number density) ratios would lead to decrease (increase) the nano-hillocks height.
•C60 fast ions cluster creates surface nano-hillocks on the yttrium iron garnet (Y3FeO125) material.•The surface nano-hillocks are explained by plasma expansion approach.•Increasing the temperature (density) ratios make the self-similar expansion region shorter (taller).