Recoil-Ion momentum distributions for single and double ionization of helium in strong laser fields

We have measured the momentum distributions of singly and doubly charged helium ions created in the focus of 220 fs, 800 nm laser pulses at intensities of (2.9-6.6)x10(14) W/cm(2). All ions are emitted strongly aligned along the direction of polarization of the light. We find the typical momenta of the He2+ ions to be 5-10 times larger than those of the He1+ ions and a two peak structure at the highest intensity.     

Uniform molecular analysis using femtosecond laser mass spectrometry

The potential of femtosecond laser time-of-flight mass spectrometry (FLMS) for uniform quantitative analysis of molecules has been investigated. Various samples of molecular gases and vapours have been studied, using ultra-fast ( approximately 50 fs) laser pulses with very high intensity (up to 1.6 x 10(16) Wcm(-2)) for non-resonant multiphoton ionisation/tunnel ionisation. Some of these molecules have high ionisation potentials, requiring up to ten photons for non-resonant ionisation. The relative sensitivity factors (RSF) have been determined as a function of the laser intensity and it has been demonstrated that for molecules with very different masses and ionisation potentials, uniform ionisation has been achieved at the highest laser intensities. Quantitative laser mass spectrometry of molecules is therefore a distinct possibility. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cluster-assisted generation of multicharged ions in nanosecond laser ionization of carbon bisulfide clusters at 1064nm

The photoionization of seeded carbon bisulfide molecular beam by a 1064\,nm nanosecond Nd-YAG laser with intensities varying from $0.8\times10^{11}$ to $5.6\times10^{11}$\,W/cm$^{2}$ have been studied by time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Multiply charged ions of S$^{q + }$ ($q$ = 2--6) and C$^{q +}$ ($q$ = 2--4) with kinetic energy of hundreds of electron volts have been observed, and there are strong experimental evidences indicating that those multicharged ions originate from the ionization of CS$_{2}$ neat clusters in the beam. An electron recolliding ionization model is proposed to explain the appearance of those multiply charged atomic ions under such low laser intensities.     

Photoionization mass-spectrometry of benzene and benzaldehyde molecules with an excimer KrF laser

A laser photoionization time-of-flight mass-spectrometer has been developed and used to investigate the photoionization and photofragmentation of benzene and benzaldehyde molecules by an excimer KrF laser radiation at the wavelength of 249 nm in the intensity range from 5·10⁴ to 5·10⁹ W/cm². It has been found that at low laser intensity ions formed by two-step photoionization are most abundant in mass spectra. By increasing laser intensity an extensive fragmentation of molecules, up to C⁺ ions, was observed. The maximum ionization yield of benzaldehyde comes to 0.1% of the number of molecules in the photoionization volume and, according to calculations, to 10% for benzene molecules, when the radiation intensity is 5·10⁹ W/cm².     

Chirping-dependent ionization and dissociation of methane in an intense femtosecond laser field

We studied the ionization and dissociation of polyatomic molecule methane in an intense femtosecond laserfield with wavelength of 810 nm and intensities ranging from 1.4×10~(14)to 2.6×10~(15) W/cm~2 by massspeetroscopy.Abundant fragment inos were observed in addition to the strong parent ion.The effect offrequency chirp was investigated and it was found that the negatively chirped pulses dramatically enhancedthe dissociation probability,which might be used to control the dissociation pathways.     

Femtosecond ionization of magnesium clusters grown in ultracold helium droplets

Magnesium clusters grown in helium droplets and ionized with femtosecond laser pulses have been studied by high resolution mass spectrometry. For moderate laser intensities the abundance spectra show characteristic features indicating electronic shell effects. Compared to clusters of s¹-electron metals additional shell closures appear resulting from an electron rearrangement. Irradiation with higher laser intensities leads to a decomposition of the magnesium clusters into atomic ions. Due to charge exchange with the surrounding helium matrix mainly singly and doubly charged magnesium ions remain. In addition, the occurrence of MgHe_N ⁺-complexes is observed. Their abundance depends on the shape of the laser field, i.e. the laser width and the optical delay when applying the pump-probe technique. Received 2 January 2001     

纳秒强激光中丙酮团簇增强的多价电离现象

利用脉宽为25 ns的脉冲Nd: YAG 532 nm的激光，在10¹⁰—10¹¹ W/cm²的强度下，用飞行时间质谱对丙酮团簇的激光电离过程进行了研究. 观察到了较强的O^q+(q=2—4)和C^q+(q=1—4)高价离子信号，这些高价离子 C⁴⁺，C³⁺，C²⁺，O⁴⁺，O³⁺，O²⁺的最大概然平动能分别为240 eV，70 eV，30 eV，90 eV，80 eV，40 eV. 高价离子的强度和平动能随激光强度的增大而增大. 我们提出一个多光子电离引发，逆韧致吸收加热-电子碰撞电离模型来解释高价离子的产生. 关键词： 丙酮 团簇 库仑爆炸 高价离子     

Dominance of radiation pressure in ion acceleration with linearly polarized pulses at intensities of 10(21) W cm(-2)

A novel regime is proposed where, by employing linearly polarized laser pulses at intensities 10(21) W cm(-2) (2 orders of magnitude lower than discussed in previous work [T. Esirkepov et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 175003 (2004)]), ions are dominantly accelerated from ultrathin foils by the radiation pressure and have monoenergetic spectra. In this regime, ions accelerated from the hole-boring process quickly catch up with the ions accelerated by target normal sheath acceleration, and they then join in a single bunch, undergoing a hybrid light-sail-target normal sheath acceleration. Under an appropriate coupling condition between foil thickness, laser intensity, and pulse duration, laser radiation pressure can be dominant in this hybrid acceleration. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that 1.26 GeV quasimonoenergetic C(6+) beams are obtained by linearly polarized laser pulses at intensities of 10(21) W cm(-2).     

Intensity clamping during laser filamentation by TW level femtosecond laser in air and argon

A systematic research on intensity clamping phenomenon was conducted both in air and argon by using a TW level femtosecond laser. Though the laser peak power was increased from 0.1 up to 1.5 TW in the experiment, highly stabilized peak intensity inside the filament was observed in both gases. The peak intensities inside filaments were experimentally determined to be about 6.4 × 10¹³ W/cm² (f = 20 cm) in air and 1.2, 1.3, and 1.7 × 10¹⁴ W/cm² when different focal lenses (f = 100, 60, and 20 cm) were used in argon, respectively.     

Multiple ionization of rare gas atoms irradiated with intense VUV radiation

The interaction of intense vacuum-ultraviolet radiation from a free-electron laser with rare gas atoms is investigated. The ionization products of xenon and argon atomic beams are analyzed with time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. At 98 nm wavelength and approximately 10(13) W/cm(2) multiple charged ions up to Xe6+ (Ar4+) are detected. From the intensity dependence of multiple charged ion yields the mechanisms of multiphoton processes were derived. In the range of approximately 10(12)-10(13) W/cm(2) the ionization is attributed to sequential multiphoton processes. The production of multiple charged ions saturates at 5-30 times lower power densities than at 193 and 564 nm wavelength, respectively.     

Photofragmentation of Na2+ in intense femtosecond laser fields: from photodissociation on light-induced potentials to field ionization.

Photofragmentation of Na2 + molecules in well prepared vibrational levels has been studied employing intense ( 10(11)-10(14) W/cm2) and ultrashort (80 fs) 790 nm laser fields. Four fragmentation channels with different released kinetic energies are observed. Depending on the applied laser intensity, the fragmentation of Na2 + is governed by photodissociation on light-induced potentials and field ionization followed by Coulomb explosion. Below 1x10(12) W/cm2, only photodissociation on light-induced potentials is seen. For intermediate laser intensities, field ionization at large internuclear distances competes with photodissociation, thus preventing the observation of above threshold dissociation. Field ionization at small internuclear distances dominates for the highest laser intensities used.     

中等光强纳秒激光电离苯团簇产生多价碳离子的数值模拟和实验研究

飞秒强激光与团簇相互作用产生多价离子的现象已被广泛报道,然而近期多个研究小组发现当功率密度低至1010W/cm2的纳秒激光照射团簇时,同样也观察到了多价离子的存在.虽然可以用"多光子电离引发-逆韧致吸收加热-电子碰撞电离"电离机理对这种现象进行解释,但是缺乏相应的数值模拟.建立了一个简化的数值模型,根据有质动力势Up计算团簇内电子能量,再由Lotz公式计算出相应的电离截面,最后由动力学反应速率方程计算出团簇内多价碳离子随时间的演变.详细分析了团簇尺寸、电子密度等关键参数对多价离子产生的影响.数值模拟结果表明:团簇电离在小于0.7 ns时间尺度内完成,C2+,C3+和C4+多价离子强度达到平衡后,离子相对强度由大到小依次为C2+,C3+,C4+,这与实验结果相一致;多价离子的价态随着团簇尺寸的增加而升高,半径为5.6 nm的苯团簇比半径为3 nm的苯团簇更容易产生高价态的离子,这也与实验结果相一致.     

Low field laser ionization of argon clusters: the remarkable fragmentation dynamics of doubly ionized clusters

We have investigated the fission following a Coulomb explosion in argon clusters (up to Ar800) irradiated by a femtosecond infrared laser with moderate intensity IL approximately 10(13) W cm(-2). We report the a priori surprising observation of well-defined velocity distributions of the ionized fragments Ar+n<50. This is interpreted by the formation of a valence shell excited charged ion, followed by relaxation, charge transfer by autoionizing collision at very short distance, and asymmetric fission.     

Effect of tunneling ionization on dynamic alignment and post-ionization alignment of nitrogen molecules irradiated by different laser intensities

The dynamic alignment and post-ionization alignment of nitrogen molecules are investigated while considering the effect of tunneling ionization. The effects of tunneling ionization on the angular distribution are calculated when the molecules are irradiated by different laser intensities. The results show that laser intensity directly affects the time and extent of dynamic alignment. Furthermore, the extent of post-ionization alignment is not only determined by laser intensity but also affected by the final extent of dynamic alignment. The post-ionization alignment will dominate during the process of molecular (or molecular ion) rotational alignment for femtosecond laser pulse. The time of tunneling ionization is a significant factor to the final ensemble angular distribution of molecular ions when laser intensity is low.     

Ultrahigh-intensity optical slow-wave structure

We report the development of corrugated "slow-wave" plasma guiding structures with application to quasiphase-matched direct laser acceleration of charged particles and generation of a wide spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. These structures support guided propagation at intensities up to 2 x 10(17) W/cm(2), limited by our current laser energy and side leakage. Hydrogen and argon plasma waveguides up to 1.5 cm in length with corrugation period as short as 35 microm are generated in a cryogenic cluster jet. Experimental data are consistent with simulations showing periodic modulations of the laser pulse intensity.     

Application of snow nanograin targets for the generation of fast ions in femtosecond laser plasma

We have measured the energy of the directed motion of multiply charged ions produced when solid targets are exposed to low-contrast (10^?3–10^?2) femtosecond laser pulses with intensities 10¹⁵–10¹⁶ W cm^?2. The measurements are based on the recording of spatially resolved X-ray spectra for H-and He-like oxygen ions in the target plane. Analysis of the He_β and Ly_α line profiles has revealed fractions of accelerated ions in plasma with energies from several to several tens of kiloelectronvolts. We show that using a layer of frozen nanometer-size water droplets as the targets leads to an effective absorption of laser pulses and a twofold rise in the energy (to 0.1 MeV) of He-like oxygen ions compared to the use of solid targets.     

Thermonuclear fusion in the irradiation of large clusters of deuterium iodide with a field of a superatomic femtosecond laser pulse

A theory of thermonuclear fusion caused by the irradiation of deuterium-iodide clusters with the field of a superatomic femtosecond laser pulse is developed. It is based on considering the process in which the sequential above-barrier multiple internal ionization of atomic ions within a cluster is accompanied by external field ionization. The theory is illustrated by taking the example of a cluster that is formed by 10⁶ molecules of deuterium iodide and which is irradiated with a laser pulse of duration 50 fs and intensity 2×10¹⁸ W/cm² at the peak. This case is dominated by I²⁶⁺ atomic ions. The yield of neutrons from thermonuclear fusion in a deuteron-deuteron collision upon the passage of a laser pulse is calculated. The result is 10⁵ neutrons per laser pulse. The mean kinetic energy of deuterons is estimated at 50 keV. Owing to induced inverse bremsstrahlung in scattering on multiply charged atomic ions, the electron temperature increases up to 28 keV. The role of the Mie resonance in the heating of the electron component is discussed.     

Production of doubly charged helium ions by two-photon absorption of an intense sub-10-fs soft x-ray pulse at 42 eV photon energy

We report on the observation of doubly charged helium ions produced by a nonlinear interaction between a helium atom and photons with a photon energy of 42 eV which are generated with the 27th harmonic of a femtosecond pulse from a Ti:sapphire laser. The number of ions is proportional to the square of the intensity of the 27th harmonic pulse, and thus two-photon double ionization should be dominantly induced as compared with other nonlinear processes accompanying sequential ionization via a singly charged ion. This phenomenon is utilized to measure the pulse duration of the 27th harmonic pulse by using an autocorrelation technique, for the first time to our knowledge, and as a result a duration of 8 fs is found.     

The effect of volumetric weighting in the interaction of intense laser fields with clusters

Silver clusters embedded in helium nanodroplets are exposed to intense femtosecond laser pulses (10¹³ - 10¹⁶ W/cm²). The signal of highly charged (q≤11) atomic fragments is maximized by delayed plasmon enhanced ionization using stretched laser pulses. Further details with respect to the dynamics of the charging process can be obtained, when the intensity distribution within the laser focus is taken into account. For the first time, the z-scan method is applied to clusters which offers a route to investigate the explicit dependence of the ion signals with respect to the laser intensity. By taking advantage of the volumetric weighting effect ionization thresholds are determined, yielding values well below 10¹⁴ W/cm² for Ag^q+ ions with q≤11.     

纳秒强激光中乙腈团簇增强的高价电离研究

利用脉宽为25 ns的脉冲Nd∶YAG 1 064 nm的激光,在1010～1011 W·cm-2的强度下,用飞行时间质谱对乙腈分子束激光电离过程进行了研究。实验中利 用氦气作为载气,乙腈分子束采用扩散和脉冲两种方式进样,当扩散束进样时,乙腈分子的谱峰可用多光子电离来解释,而当脉冲分子束进样时,实验中产生了外层价电子高剥离的Nq+ (q=2～5) 和Cq+(q=1～4)信号谱。实验中同时发现,激光波长增大时,高价离子的谱强度也趋向于增大。激光延迟及谱峰的相关性分析表明,这些高价离子可能来源于乙腈团簇的库仑爆炸 过程。提出一个多光子电离引发,逆韧致吸收加热-电子碰撞电离模型来解释高价离子的产生,对高价离子伴随的波长效应也给出了较为合理的解释。