An improved two-temperature model to describe femtosecond laser ablation of metal target was presented. The temperature-dependent heat capacity and thermal conductivity of the electron, as well as electron temperature-dependent absorption coefficient and absorptivity are all considered in this two-temperature model. The tailored two-temperature model is solved using a finite difference method for copper target. The time-dependence of lattice and electron temperature of the surface for different laser fluence are performed, respectively. The temperature distribution of the electron and lattice along with space and time for a certain laser fluence is also presented. Moreover, the variation of ablation rate per pulse with laser fluence is obtained. The satisfactory agreement between our numerical results and experimental data indicates that the temperature dependence of heat capacity, thermal conductivity, absorption coefficient and absorptivity in femtosecond laser ablation of metal target must not be neglected. The present model will be helpful for the further experimental investigation of application of the femtosecond laser.
