Desorption stimulated by laser-induced surface-plasmon excitation

Atoms with energies of several electronvolts are ejected if small metal particles are illuminated with low-intensity visible laser light. The desorption rate exhibits a resonant behavior with its maximum at {λ}=490 nm for particles of 50 nm average radius. The novel process is explained by a mechanism of laser-induced desorption that is based on surface-plasmon excitation.