## 1 Introduction  
Over the last decade, the increased commercial availability of industrial grade ultra short pulsed laser systems has fostered many applications of this innovative laser source. Beside the advantage of non-thermal material processing, new approaches for surface structuring have been intensively studied. One of these novel applications is the generation of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS), which were firstly observed in 1965 by [PERSON] [1]. Generally, LIPSS are separated in two common types. Low spatial frequency LIPSS (LSFL) appear with a spatial periodicity near the incidence laser wavelength, whereas high spatial frequency LIPSS (HSFL) exhibit a spatial periodicity clearly below the laser wavelength [2]. For metals, the orientation of LSFL is perpendicular and that of HSFL is parallel to the polarization direction of the incident laser radiation. The origin of LSFL is described as the interaction of the electromagnetic field of the laser and a surface scattered wave generated by the incident laser light. This surface scattered wave forms the basis of the so-called efficacy factor theory, which is associated with surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) [3]. This model of the origin explains the direction and the spatial wavelength of LSFL on metals. Recent studies suggest that another type of periodic structure, often referred to as unclassical ripples, u-ripples, or grooves, with a spatial period much greater than the incident laser wavelength, may appear during ultra-short pulsed laser irradiation. The orientation of the latter is found to be parallel to the polarization of the laser beam [4; 5; 6]. The formation of such u-ripples has been attributed to capillary waves by an inhomogeneous temperature distribution as a result of scattered laser pulses on a molten surface layer [5]. With respect to the manifold potential applications of periodically structured surfaces, the aforementioned types of LIPSS have been intensively investigated on metals [7; 8], semiconductors [3; 4], and dielectrics [9; 10; 11]. Specifically, periodic surface structures can be used for controlling cell growth in biotechnology [12], friction and wear optimization [13], testing of mechanical properties [14], and influencing the emission properties of THz transmitters [15]. In particular, the influence of LSFL on the wetting properties of surfaces can be applied in microfluidics [16] and to self-cleaning components [17]. Commonly, Ti/sapphire lasers [18; 19; 20] or nanosecond lasers [21; 22; 23; 24] are used in scientific reports to modify the wetting behavior of surfaces; however, for industrial applications, it is desirable to use femtosecond lasers with a high repetition rate, enabling high throughput and process efficiency. There are fundamentally three different states of wetting behavior differentiated with respect to the contact angle, namely hydrophilic (\(\Theta<90^{\circ}\)), hydrophobic (\(\Theta>90^{\circ}\)), and super-hydrophobic (\(\Theta>150^{\circ}\)). These states can be practically realized either by an additional deposited function layer or by structuring the surface to modify the surface roughness in a specific manner. Since the generation of LIPSS depends sensitively on the number of laser pulses per spot and the applied laser pulse energy, a comprehensive study of the influencing factors is indispensable as to control the achievable wetting properties for the targeted application, e.g., hydrophilic states for microfluidics or super hydrophobic states for self-cleaning surfaces. In this study, we report on the generation of combined LSFL, u-ripples, and ablation trenches on brass and analyze the wetting behavior immediately after laser irradiation and its temporal evolution on a time scale of several days. Whereas the apparent contact angle initially reveals a pronounced drop as compared to unstructured brass, it increases into the hydrophobic regime and saturates over several days.