Establishing simulations of shockwaves in InSb using molecular dynamics

Abstract: Laser induced shockwaves have previously been shown to prompt structural changes in germanium. Similar experiments have now been performed in InSb, with powder diffraction patterns displaying a peak at 2.3Å indicating the formation of an unknown structure. In this work, large scale molecular dynamics simulations of shockwave propagation in germanium and InSb are presented. The results are in excellent agreement with published simulations in germanium, and further corroborate the experimental powder diffraction pattern in InSb. Possible structural explanations to the 2.3Å peak are discussed, with the formation of wurtzite InSb being unsupported. Desirable future enhancements to the model accuracy and efficiency are presented.