A study of dynamics and chemical reactions in laser-ablated PbTiO3 plume by optical-wavelength-sensitive CCD photography

3 (PT) in ambients of oxygen, nitrogen, and argon was studied by using a CCD camera. Two optical filters with different transmittance bands were used to identify the excitation, dissociation, ionization, and, especially, the chemical reactions in the plume. The results show that the atomic processes and chemical reaction mechanisms in the plume formed in active oxygen are very different from those formed in inert argon and nitrogen. It is proposed that the chemical reactions between ablated metal species and ambient oxygen are initiated by the strong shock wave formed during the propagation of the PT plume. Received: 6 October 1997/Accepted: 7 October 1997