Laboratory Craters: Modeling Experiments for Meteorite Impact Craters?

In this paper, we reveal the feasibility of obtaining laboratory craters to investigate planetary events such as meteorite craters. Experiments were performed by using 0.44-mum laser beam with energy of les15 J in 350 ps (full-width at half-maximum) on aluminum targets. We obtain simple and complex craters similar in contour that are formed due to large meteorite impacts on the terrestrial surface. Simulations performed with the 2-D radiation hydrodynamic code MULTI help in understanding the origin of the experimentally observed central uplift of complex craters.