Laser-induced air ionization microscopy

摘要

A nonlinear scanning imaging method is introduced that uses the highly localized air ionization initiated by photoelectrons from the sample surface under irradiation of femtosecond laser pulses as the microprobe. This type of microscopy with realizable subdiffraction spatial resolution has the unique advantages of being highly sensitive to both elemental and topographical properties of the samples of interest. Microscopic images of a femtosecond laser ablated micropattern, the cross section and the side view profile of an optical fiber, and a fresh mulberry leaf are obtained with this imaging technique, which demonstrate this technique's broad applicability in microscopic studies of different materials.