Multiple ionization and Coulomb explosion of mercury clusters in femtosecond laser fields

Real-time observation of ultrafast ionization and fragmentation of mercury clusters

“…This is supported by the results of the pumpprobe experiments discussed below. For higher laser intensities (≥ 10 12 W/cm 2 ) fragmentation increases strongly and at intensities of ≈ 10 13 W/cm 2 total destruction of the clusters into single atoms, singly and multiply charged, due to Coulomb explosion is observed [10].…”

Formation and dissociation of triply charged fragment ions of benzene

“…3,4,5 Besides electron impact and electrospray multiply charged molecules and clusters have been produced during the last decade applying several other methods such as intense laser pulses, 6-11 synchrotron radiation [12][13][14] or collisions with highly charged atoms. [15][16][17] However, in many of these experiments mostly atomic fragment ions 7,8,12,15 are observed as the result of the Coulomb explosion of the highly charged precursor molecule. Benzene and other cyclic molecules turn out to resist Coulomb explosion much better than many other small molecules.…”

A B‐TOF mass spectrometer for the analysis of ions with extreme high start‐up energies

“…In the case of Ti–sapphire laser light the critical density of ∼10 19 cm −3 is a factor of 100 below the typical van der Waals density of 10 21 cm −3 in clusters. Consequently, intense laser irradiation of rare gas cluster targets causes a short‐lived, superheated state of matter that has attracted researchers recently 18–24, 28–30. Comparable laser–matter interactions can trigger the formation of highly kinetic electrons and ions, and highly energetic charge states up to He‐like argon and Ne‐like xenon.…”

“…This precise and efficient tool has found a rapidly growing number of interesting applications like, e.g. laser ablation of metals and dielectrics1–3 and organic materials,4, 5 very fast ion generation from laser–solid6–17 and laser–cluster interaction,18–25 x‐ray production from laser–solid26, 27 and laser–cluster28–30 interaction and high‐order harmonic generation31–34 and multiple ionization and efficient fragmentation of molecules and clusters 35–41. Several interesting theoretical approaches have been proposed to model such situations, with special respect to efficient energy absorption and conversion into ion kinetic energies often observed in intense laser–matter interaction 19, 42–45.…”