Experiments on catalytic resonance ionization of dense tantalum-contained ruby-laser-produced gas clouds with a KrF laser

摘要

In this paper, we describe the principle of a technique to produce planar and volumetric plasma sources of nearly every element and results of experiments on verification of this technique. This technique is based on a generalization of the LIBORS-process (laser ionization based on resonant saturation) which because of its similarity to chemical catalytic reactions has been called CATRION (CATalytic Resonance IONization). Characteristics of vapor clouds formed near wide variety of mono-component or two-component targets in vacuum with a pulsed ruby laser were investigated. Effect of an intense KrF laser radiation on expanding tantalum-contained and, for comparison, titanium vapor clouds was studied. Photoresonance ionization in saturation mode of tantalum cloud was detected with the help of a frame camera, Langmuir probes, and spectroscopic diagnostics.