Ablation depths of stainless steel targets irradiated by 80-fs
laser pulses at a flux F ≤ 40 J/cm2
(intensity ≤ 5 × 1014 W/cm2)
in the presence of air at atmospheric pressure are experimentally
measured. These values are lower than the theoretical predictions
for metal targets in vacuum. Results are analyzed on the basis of
the role of the ambient gas and of crater formation on the behavior
of the ablated material.