Velocity distributions of Ba (S01, DJ3, D21, P13, and P11) and Ba+(P3∕22) produced by 1064nm pulsed laser ablation of barium in vacuum

Abstract

Various electronic states of Ba, from ground state up to 2.24eV (S01, DJ3, D21, P13, and P11) together with Ba+(P3∕22), were produced by 1064nm high-irradiance pulsed nanosecond laser ablation of Ba in vacuum. The velocity distribution for every species was obtained from time-of-flight measurements, using pulsed laser induced fluorescence or time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy, as applicable to each species. The distributions are bimodal, Maxwell-Boltzmann functions for S01, DJ3, and D21 and shifted Maxwell-Boltzmann for the rest of the states, with different peak velocities and average, hyperthermal translational temperatures. Possible mechanisms for the production of these velocity distributions are discussed.