Periodic surface structures on titanium self-organized upon double femtosecond pulse exposures

•LIPSS self-formed on Ti surface upon irradiations by 25 double pulses.•A surface plasma density variation leads to a variation of LIPSS features.•Data from double pulse irradiations well agree with the parametric decay model.•Results confirm the formation of surface plasma during the ultra-short interaction.•Results support once again the validity of the parametric decay model.

Laser induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) self-organized on Ti surface after irradiations by femtosecond laser beam composed by double pulses with a fixed time delay of 160 fs. The fluence of the first pulse (FPP), responsible for surface plasma formation, was varied in the range 10-50 mJ cm−2 and always kept below the LIPSS formation threshold fluence (FLIPSS) on Ti for 50-single-shots exposure. The fluence of the delayed pulse (FLP), responsible for LIPSS self-organization, was varied in the range 60-150 mJ cm−2 and always kept above FLIPSS. Regardless the specific fluence FLP of the delayed pulse, the interspace of the grating structures increases with the increase of FPP, that is an increase of the surface plasma density. This tendency suggests that a variation of the surface plasma density, due to a variation of FPP, actually leads to a modification of the grating features. Moreover, we observed that the LIPSS periodicities after double pulse exposures are in quite good agreement with data on LIPSS periodicities after single 160 fs pulse irradiations on Ti surface and with the curve predicted by the parametric decay model. This experimental result suggests that the preformed plasma might be produced in the rising edge of the temporal profile of the laser pulse.