  The sputtering yield, Y, from a cylindrical thermal spike is calculated using
a two dimensional fluid dynamics model which includes the transport of energy,
momentum and mass. The results show that the high pressure built-up within the
spike causes the hot core to perform a rapid expansion both laterally and
upwards. This expansion appears to play a significant role in the sputtering
process. It is responsible for the ejection of mass from the surface and causes
fast cooling of the cascade. The competition between these effects accounts for
the nearly linear dependence of $Y$ with the deposited energy per unit depth
that was observed in recent Molecular Dynamics simulations. Based on this we
describe the conditions for attaining a linear yield at high excitation
densities and give a simple model for this yield.
