The attenuation and disintegration of water cluster ion beams, interacting with neutral gases, were studied for a range of cluster energies and sizes. Scattering cross sections and rates of water molecule loss were measured. For these experiments, a time-of-flight mass spectrometer capable of analyzing dc ion sources has been developed and is described. The observed cross sections for attenuation of water cluster ions are consistent with the assumption of structures having densities comparable with that of liquid water.
Aluminum foils 1–75 μm thick were irradiated by 500-psec Nd-glass laser pulses with intensities 6×1012 to 1014 W/cm2. The reflected and transmitted light and the produced x rays were measured using PIN photodiodes and crystal spectrometers. Two torsion pendula were used to measure the target and the plasma momenta. Both measurements are consistent with a simple hydrodynamic model. We obtain plasma pressures in the range 1.5–13 Mbars, shock-wave velocities between 0.9×106 and 2.6×106 cm/sec, penetration depths of the ablation surface in the domain of 3–10 μm for laser intensities in the range 6×1012 to 1014 W/cm2. The burn-through times (i.e., the times that a hole is opened in the foil) for foils 25, 50, and 75 μm thick are measured to be 8±5, 18±5, and 25±5 nsec, respectively.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.