Production of high-energy neutral molecules in the laser-surface interaction

In studies of the particle emission produced in the laser-surface interaction, production of high-energy neutral molecules has been observed. When a flux density of the order of 108W/cm2from aQ-switched ruby laser is absorbed by tungsten, nickel, titanium, carbon, and sodium targets, neutral molecules with energies of the order of 100 electron volts per molecule are observed in a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The dominant species appear to be H2, CO, and CO2. These observations are of interest in the study of the processes that occur in the laser-produced blowoff material.