Two-dimensional particle-in-cell modeling of blow-off impulse by X-ray irradiation

Space objects such as spacecraft or missiles may be exposed to intense X-rays in outer space, leading to severe damage. The reinforcement of these objects to reduce the damage caused by X-ray irradiation is a significant concern. The blow-off impulse (BOI) is a crucial physical quantity for investigating material damage induced by X-ray irradiation. However, the accurate calculation of BOI is challenging, particularly for large deformations of materials with complex configurations. In this study, we develop a novel two-dimensional particle-in-cell code, Xablation2D, to calculate BOIs under far-field X-ray irradiation. This significantly reduces the dependence of the numerical simulation on the grid shape. The reliability of this code is verified by simulation results from open-source codes, and the calculated BOIs are consistent with the experimental and analytical results.