Tabletop nucleosynthesis driven by cluster Coulomb explosion

Coulomb explosion of completely ionized (CH4)n, (NH3)n, and (H2O)n clusters will drive tabletop nuclear reactions of protons with 12C6+, 14N7+, and 16O8+ nuclei, extending the realm of nuclear reactions driven by ultraintense laser-heterocluster interaction. The realization for nucleosynthesis in exploding cluster beams requires complete electron stripping from the clusters (at laser intensities I(M) > or = 10(19) W cm(-2)), the utilization of nanodroplets of radius 300-700 A for vertical ionization, and the attainment of the highest energies for the nuclei (i.e., approximately 30 MeV for heavy nuclei and approximately 3 MeV for protons).     

Energetic ion generation by Coulomb explosion in cluster gas and a low-density plastic foam with an intense femtosecond laser

The energy distributions of protons emitted from the Coulomb explosion of hydrogen clusters by an intense femtosecond laser have been experimentally obtained. Ten thousand hydrogen clusters were exploded, emitting 8.1-keV protons under laser irradiation of intensity 6 × 10¹⁶W/cm². The energy distributions are interpreted well by a spherical uniform cluster analytical model. The maximum energy of the emitted protons can be characterized by cluster size and laser intensity. The laser intensity scale for the maximum proton energy, given by a spherical cluster Coulomb explosion model, is in fairly good agreement with the experimental results obtained at a laser intensity of 10¹⁶–10¹⁷ W/cm² and also when extrapolated with the results of three-dimensional particle simulations at 10²⁰–10²¹ W/cm². Energetic proton generation in low-density plastic (C₅H₁₀) foam by intense femtosecond laser pulse irradiation has been studied experimentally and numerically. Plastic foam was successfully produced by a sol-gel method, achieving an average density of 10 mg/cm³. The foam target was irradiated by 100-fs pulses of a laser with intensity 1 × 10¹⁸ W/cm². A plateau structure extending up to 200 keV was observed in the energy distribution of protons generated from the foam target, with the plateau shape explained well by Coulomb explosion of lamella in the foam. The laser-foam interaction and ion generation were studied qualitatively by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, which indicated that energetic protons are mainly generated by the Coulomb explosion. From the results, the efficiency of energetic ion generation in a low-density foam target by Coulomb explosion is expected to be higher than in a gas-cluster target.     

Kinetic description of the Coulomb explosion of a spherically symmetric cluster

The particle distribution function is calculated for the Coulomb explosion of a spherically symmetric charged cluster formed through the interaction of intense ultrashort laser pulses with a cluster gas. The particle density and mean velocity distributions as well as the energy spectra of the accelerated particles are obtained. These characteristics are analyzed in detail for a cold cluster plasma, where the kinetic effects determine the physics of multiple flows emerging after the turnover of the cluster particle velocity profile. We find the boundaries of the multiple-flow regions and study the characteristics of an exploding cluster as a function of its initial density profile. The energy spectra of the accelerated ions are obtained for a cluster plasma with a specified cluster size distribution.     

Cooling-induced increase of methane cluster size investigated under a Coulomb explosion scheme

In this letter, we discuss the increase in the average cluster size by lowering the stagnation temperature of the methane （CH4） gas. The Coulomb explosion experiments are conducted to estimate the cluster size and the size distribution. The average CH4 cluster sizes Nay of 6 230 and 6 580 are acquired with the source conditions of 30 bars at 240 K and 60 bars at 296 K, respectively. Empirical estimation suggests a five-fold increase in the average size of the CH4 clusters at 240 K compared with that at room temperature under a backing pressure of 30 bars. A strong nonlinear Hagena parameter relation （Г^＊∝ T0^-3.3） for the CH4 clusters is revealed. The results may be favorable for the production of large-sized clusters by using gases at low temperature and high back pressures.     

Distribution of the Coulomb microfield within an ion cluster

The microfield distribution function in clusters was studied by simulation using the molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo methods. The results obtained were compared with microfield distributions in infinite plasma. It was shown that the calculated distributions have the same asymptotics. However, the position of the maximum and the existence of additional extrema depend on the cluster type and size. The dependence of the microfield expectation and variance on the number of cluster particles was also studied.     

氢分子离子在库仑爆炸中核动力学的同位素效应

在非Born-Oppenheimer近似条件下,通过数值求解一维含时薛定谔方程,理论模拟了H+2和HD+在相同激光条件、相同的核初始振动态条件下的库仑爆炸核动能释放谱.通过比较H+2和HD+库仑爆炸核动能释放谱中谱峰值位置的相对变化,研究了H+2在库仑爆炸中核动力学的同位素效应.数值结果表明:同位素效应在很大程度上依赖于分子离子核初始振动态的选取;特别当初始振动态v=5时,出现了特殊的同位素效应.     

C20离子团簇在氧化物中穿行时库仑爆炸过程的理论研究

研究了C20团簇在几种金属氧化物(Al2O3,SiO2)中穿行时发生的库仑爆炸过程.采用线性介电响应理论,并结合Mermin形式的介电函数,得到了团簇中各组成离子的空间感应势,其中组成团簇中各组成离子的电荷分布情况由Brandt-Kitagawa有效电荷理论模型来描述.通过求解运动方程得到离子团结构随时间的演化过程,并采用Monte Carlo方法模拟了爆炸过程中的多重散射现象.我们发现,尾流效应使团簇的空间结构和电荷分布呈现非对称性.     

Coulomb explosion and thermal spikes

A fast ion can electronically excite a solid producing a track of damage, a process initially used to detect energetic particles but now used to alter materials. From the seminal paper by Fleischer et al. [Phys. Rev. 156, 353 (1967)] to the present, "Coulomb explosion" and thermal spike models have been often treated as competing models for describing ion track effects. Here molecular dynamics simulations of electronic sputtering, a surface manifestation of track formation, show that in the absence of significant quenching Coulomb explosion in fact produces a spike at high excitation density, but the standard spike models are incorrect.     

Ultrafast Coulomb explosion imaging of molecules

Multiple ionization of small molecules leads to multifragmentation called Coulomb explosion. The atomic positions prior to the fragmentation event are determined from the multicharged fragments trajectories. Following the pioneering contribution of Prof. N.B. Delone on atomic ionization using strong laser fields, intense femtosecond laser pulses in the 10¹⁵ W cm^?2 range permit an efficient removal of valence electrons. Pulse durations have to be reduced to a few cycles in order to avoid any significant molecular stretching during multiple ionization. Pumpprobe excitation schemes offer promising perspectives for straightforward ultrafast Coulomb explosion imaging of excited and ionized molecular species.     

The Coulomb explosion of charged drops

In the framework of the density functional theory using a simple variational model we have calculated the first-order size corrections to electro-physical characteristics of small metal particles. We have discovered that the curvature correction to the surface energy is of positive sign. We have shown that it is possible to use macroscopic electrodynamics in calculations of the ionization potential and the electron affinity. We have determined the maximum charge which can be retained by a particle of a given size.     

Field-induced ionization and Coulomb explosion of nitrogen

Femtosecond-laser field-induced ionization and Coulomb explosion of diatomic nitrogen were systematically investigated using time-of-flight mass and photoelectron spectrometry. Both linearly and circularly polarized femtosecond laser pulses were used at intensities varying from 5×10¹³ to 2×10¹⁵ W/cm². Strong N₂ ⁺, N₂ ²⁺, N⁺, N²⁺ and N³⁺ ion signals were observed for horizontally polarized pulses. Moreover, signals from the atomic ions exhibited a double-peak structure. Suppression of ionization was observed for circularly polarized pulses, while for vertically polarized pulses, only N₂ ⁺ and N₂ ²⁺ ions were observed. The angular distributions of the ions were measured under zero-field conditions in the ionization zone. The atomic ions N⁺, N²⁺ and N³⁺ exhibited highly anisotropic distributions, with maxima along the laser polarization vector and zeroes normal to the laser polarization vector. In contrast to the atomic ions, N₂ ⁺ exhibited a strong isotropic angular distribution. These observations indicate that dynamic alignment is responsible for the observed anisotropic angular distribution of the atomic ions. The kinetic energy spectrum of the photoelectrons is featureless and broad, extending above the ponderomotive potential of the laser pulse. The angular distribution is markedly anisotropic, with a maximum along the laser polarization vector. These observations further support the notion that the field-ionization mechanism is dominant under our experimental conditions. Received: 29 January 2002 / Revised version: 15 March 2002 / Published online: 12 July 2002     

Control parameters for ion heating and X-ray emission from laser induced cluster explosion

The highest energies of the ions obtained from the explosion of an atomic cluster in an intense femtosecond laser field can vary greatly depending on the cluster size, atomic species and the peak intensity, duration and shape of the laser pulse. By careful choice of these parameters the ion energies, electron energies or X-ray emission can be optimised. A relationship is described that allows for rapid determination of the optimum experimental parameters. We present experimental data of keV X-ray emission from Argon clusters, which investigate intensity and pulse duration effects. In addition we present the first results from closed-loop optimal control, pulse-shaping experiments that optimise X-ray emission and show a significant enhancement in the X-ray yield. PACS 36.40.Gk; 52.50.Jm     

Simulation results of the Coulomb explosion of metal

By the example of a plasma layer, the problem of the Coulomb explosion of metal during exposure to a powerful picosecond laser pulse was numerically simulated. It was shown that plasma electrons leave the plasma layer under the ponderomotive force in the direction against the gradient of the laser radiation field, while ions fly apart in the field of the self-charge.     

Coulomb explosion of the hot spot of micropinches

It has been shown that the generation of hard X-ray radiation, electron beam, and high energy ions that have been detected in experiments on compressing pinches can be related to the Coulomb explosion of a micropinch hot spot, which is formed due to the outflow of the material. In the outflow process, the plasma temperature in the hot spot increases and conditions appear for the transition of electrons to the regime of continuous acceleration. The exit of runaway electrons from the hot spot region leads to the creation of a positive bulk charge, then to a Coulomb explosion. Conditions under which electrons pass to the continuous acceleration regime have been determined and estimates of the ion kinetic energy upon a Coulomb explosion have been obtained.     

Ultrafast nuclear dynamics and non-uniform Coulomb explosion of heteroclusters

This paper reports on some unique features of the ion spatial distribution, energetics and time-resolved dynamics in Coulomb explosion of multicharged light-heavy heteroclusters, consisting of light, low-charge and heavy, high-charge, ions, e.g. hydroiodic acid [image omitted] and its isotopic substituents [image omitted] and [image omitted]. In these clusters, extreme multielectron ionization in ultraintense laser fields (peak intensity I = 1015 - 1020 W cm-2) results in highly charged heavy ions, e.g. qI ? 7 at I = 6×1015 W cm-2 and qI = 25 at I = 1019 W cm-2. Molecular dynamics simulations based on the cluster vertical ionization (CVI) initial conditions, together with complete simulations involving both electron and nuclear dynamics of heteroclusters subjected to a Gaussian laser pulse, which were conducted for Coulomb explosion of [image omitted] and [image omitted] ionic clusters, reveal expanding, thin, two-dimensional spherical shells of the light D+ or H+ ions, with the monolayer expansion occurring on the femtosecond time scale. The expanding spherical nanoshells of light ions are analogous to a 'soap bubble', characterized by negative surface tension and driven by Coulomb pressure. The energetic data for the light ions reveal high energies with a narrow energy distribution, characterized by a lower energy cut-off, e.g. average energy Eav = 23 keV at width ΔE/Eav = 0.16, and a cut-off energy of EMIN = 19.2 keV for Coulomb explosion of [image omitted] clusters. These dynamic, structural and energetic data for exploding multicharged light-heavy heteroclusters arise from kinematic overrun effects of the light ions.     

Coulomb expansion of laser-excited ion plasmas

We determine the electric field in mm-sized clouds of cold Rb+ ions, produced by photoionization of laser-cooled 87Rb atoms in a magneto-optical trap, using the Stark effect of embedded Rydberg atoms. The dependence of the electric field on the time delay between the ion plasma production and the probe of the electric field reflects the Coulomb expansion of the plasma. Our experiments and models show expansion times <1micros.     

Ultrafast Coulomb explosion imaging of molecules and molecular clusters

Taking an image of their structure and a movie of their dynamics of small quantum systems have always been a dream of physicists and chemists. Laser-induced Coulomb explosion imaging (CEI) provides a great opportunity to make this dream a reality for small molecules or their aggregation —— clusters. The method is unique for identifying the atomic locations with ångstrom spatial resolution and capturing the structural evolution with a femtosecond time scale, in particular for imaging transient state products. This review summarizes the determination of three-dimensional equilibrium geometry of molecules and molecular cluster system through the reconstruction from the fragments momenta, and also shows that the dissociation dynamics on the complex potential energy surface can be tracked in real-time with the ultrafast CEI (UCEI). Furthermore, the detailed measurement and analysis procedures of the CEI, theoretical methods, exemplary results, and future perspectives of the technique are described.     

Dynamics of Coulomb explosion of hydrogen clusters in a high-intensity femtosecond laser pulse

Using Bethe model, the dynamics of the ionization and Coulomb explosion of hydrogen clusters (0.5-5nm) in high-intensity (1015-1017 W/cm2) femtosecond laser pulses have been studied theoretically, and the dependence of energy of protons emitted from exploding clusters on cluster size and laser intensity has been investigated. It is found that the maximum proton energy increases exponentially with the cluster size, and the exponent is mainly determined by the laser intensity. For a given cluster size, the maximum proton energy increases with increasing laser intensity and gets saturation gradually. The calculation results are in agreement with the recent experimental observation.     

Coulomb explosion of nanoclusters that glide along organic surfaces

A model of the Coulomb multiple dissociation (Coulomb explosion) of a nanocluster that glides at an atomic distance along an organic film at a velocity that is lower than the Bohr velocity is proposed. Nanoclusters that consist of identical atoms and films, whose molecules contain substructures of periodic diatomic valence bonds, (for example, CnH_2n ) that have a significant dipole moment are considered. These structures can serve as antennas for IR radiation. It is shown that the dissociation process of a gliding nanocluster is induced by a picosecond pulse of highly intense photons (10¹⁴–10¹⁶ W/cm²) that are radiated by IR antennas of the film as a result of the relaxation of collective vibrating excitations that are accumulated in the antenna (excimoles). These excimoles resonantly exit from the IR antennas of the film as a result of the action of the periodic Coulomb field, which appears during the gliding of a nanocluster with respect to the film molecules at a rate below the Bohr velocity. In the framework of the proposed model, the experimental results on the decay of C ₆₀ ⁺ ions as they glide along an organic film that contains molecules with IR antennas are analyzed.