Pulsed atomic beams with flux densities above 1016 cm-2 s-1 have been produced in vacuum with high reproducibility by laser induced ablation from titanium and iron targets. The power of the TEA CO2 laser was kept at a level where plasma production at the target surface was avoided: no ions were detectable. The beams were analysed by laser fluorescence. The high directionality of the beam, a discrepancy between velocity distribution and flux density as well as very low excitation temperatures of the fine structure levels of the ground state point to a non-thermal ejection process of the atoms and/or to impurity surface effects.

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