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Rare-gas-cluster explosions under irradiation by intense short XUV pulses

Journal Article · · Physical Review. A
; ; ; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. Department of Physics, Texas Center for High Intensity Laser Science, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States)

High-intensity, extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) femtosecond interactions with large rare-gas clusters of xenon and argon have been studied at a wavelength of 38 nm. Pulses of XUV radiation with nJ energy are produced by high-order harmonic conversion from a 35-fs, near-infrared, terawatt laser. Mass resolved ion spectra show charge states up to Xe{sup 8+} and Ar{sup 4+}. Kinetic-energy measurements of ions and electrons indicate that a nanoplasma is formed and a hydrodynamic cluster explosion ensues after heating by the short wavelength pulse. It appears that the observed charge states and electron temperatures are consistent with sequential, single-photon ionization and collisional ionization of ions that have had their ionization potential depressed by plasma continuum lowering in the cluster nanoplasma.

OSTI ID:
21544643
Journal Information:
Physical Review. A, Journal Name: Physical Review. A Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 83; ISSN 1050-2947; ISSN PLRAAN
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English