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Volumetric intensity dependence on the formation of molecular and atomic ions within a high intensity laser focus

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Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

The mechanism of atomic and molecular ionization in intense, ultra-short laser fields is a subject which continues to receive considerable attention. An inherent difficulty with techniques involving the tight focus of a laser beam is the continuous distribution of intensities contained within the focus, which can vary over several orders of magnitude. The present study adopts time of flight mass spectrometry coupled with a high intensity (8 × 1015 Wcm−2), ultra-short (20 fs) pulse laser in order to investigate the ionization and dissociation of the aromatic molecule benzene-d1 (C6H5D) as a function of intensity within a focused laser beam, by scanning the laser focus in the direction of propagation, while detecting ions produced only in a “thin” slice (400 and 800 µm) of the focus. The resultant TOF mass spectra varies significantly, highlighting the dependence on the range of specific intensities accessed and their volumetric weightings on the ionization/dissociation pathways accessed.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Seiji Shimizu

    Present address: Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, 611-0011, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto, Japan

  2. Jiamin M. Yang

    Present address: Research Center of Laser Fusion, P.O. Box 919-986, 621900, Mianyang, People’s Republic of China

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, John Anderson Bldg., 107 Rottenrow, G4 0NG, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

    Lynne Robson, Kenneth W. D. Ledingham, Paul McKenna, Thomas McCanny, Seiji Shimizu & Jiamin M. Yang

  2. AWE plc, Aldermaston, Reading, UK

    Kenneth W. D. Ledingham

  3. Department of Physics, Lund Institute of Technology, Lund, Sweden

    Claes-Göran Wahlström, Rodrigo Lopez-Martens, Katalin Varju, Per Johnsson & Johan Mauritsson

Authors
  1. Lynne Robson
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  2. Kenneth W. D. Ledingham
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  3. Paul McKenna
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  4. Thomas McCanny
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  5. Seiji Shimizu
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  7. Claes-Göran Wahlström
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  8. Rodrigo Lopez-Martens
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  9. Katalin Varju
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  10. Per Johnsson
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  11. Johan Mauritsson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lynne Robson.

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Published online December 15, 2004

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Robson, L., Ledingham, K.W.D., McKenna, P. et al. Volumetric intensity dependence on the formation of molecular and atomic ions within a high intensity laser focus. J Am Soc Mass Spectrom 16, 82–89 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasms.2004.09.018

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasms.2004.09.018

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