Generation of ultrashort keV Ar+ ion pulses via femtosecond laser photoionization
Ion beams with energies in the keV regime are widely utilized in solid-state physics, but the ultrafast dynamics triggered by an ion impact onto a solid surface is to date exclusively accessible via simulations based on many untested assumptions and model parameters. A possible experimental access r...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2021-01-01
|
| Series: | New Journal of Physics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/abe443 |
| _version_ | 1797750125058064384 |
|---|---|
| author | Alexander Golombek Lars Breuer Lisa Danzig Paul Kucharczyk Marika Schleberger Klaus Sokolowski-Tinten Andreas Wucher |
| author_facet | Alexander Golombek Lars Breuer Lisa Danzig Paul Kucharczyk Marika Schleberger Klaus Sokolowski-Tinten Andreas Wucher |
| author_sort | Alexander Golombek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ion beams with energies in the keV regime are widely utilized in solid-state physics, but the ultrafast dynamics triggered by an ion impact onto a solid surface is to date exclusively accessible via simulations based on many untested assumptions and model parameters. A possible experimental access rests on the availability of a laser-synchronized ion source delivering sufficiently short ion pulses for time resolved pump–probe experiments. Here, we demonstrate a new miniaturized ion optical bunching setup for the creation of rare gas ion pulses using strong-field femtosecond laser photoionization. Neutral Ar gas atoms at room temperature are intercepted by a 50 fs, 800 nm laser pulse focused to ∼10 μ m spot size. We demonstrate the generation of monoenergetic 2 keV Ar ^+ ion pulses with 180 ps duration (FWHM) at laser peak intensities around 10 ^14 W cm ^−2 and of multiply charged Ar ^q ^+ ions ( q = 1–5) at higher laser intensities. The results are in good agreement with detailed ion trajectory simulations, which show that the temporal resolution is essentially limited by the initial (thermal) velocity spread of the generated photo-ions, indicating the possibility to achieve even better time resolution by cooling the gas prior to ionization. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:29:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1982601ea20b450f9cbef54305d79219 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1367-2630 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:29:10Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Journal of Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-1982601ea20b450f9cbef54305d792192023-08-08T15:35:08ZengIOP PublishingNew Journal of Physics1367-26302021-01-0123303302310.1088/1367-2630/abe443Generation of ultrashort keV Ar+ ion pulses via femtosecond laser photoionizationAlexander Golombek0Lars Breuer1Lisa Danzig2Paul Kucharczyk3Marika Schleberger4Klaus Sokolowski-Tinten5Andreas Wucher6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9244-9491Universität Duisburg-Essen , Fachbereich Physik, Lotharstraße 1, 47057 Duisburg, GermanyUniversität Duisburg-Essen , Fachbereich Physik, Lotharstraße 1, 47057 Duisburg, GermanyUniversität Duisburg-Essen , Fachbereich Physik, Lotharstraße 1, 47057 Duisburg, GermanyUniversität Duisburg-Essen , Fachbereich Physik, Lotharstraße 1, 47057 Duisburg, GermanyUniversität Duisburg-Essen , Fachbereich Physik, Lotharstraße 1, 47057 Duisburg, GermanyUniversität Duisburg-Essen , Fachbereich Physik, Lotharstraße 1, 47057 Duisburg, GermanyUniversität Duisburg-Essen , Fachbereich Physik, Lotharstraße 1, 47057 Duisburg, GermanyIon beams with energies in the keV regime are widely utilized in solid-state physics, but the ultrafast dynamics triggered by an ion impact onto a solid surface is to date exclusively accessible via simulations based on many untested assumptions and model parameters. A possible experimental access rests on the availability of a laser-synchronized ion source delivering sufficiently short ion pulses for time resolved pump–probe experiments. Here, we demonstrate a new miniaturized ion optical bunching setup for the creation of rare gas ion pulses using strong-field femtosecond laser photoionization. Neutral Ar gas atoms at room temperature are intercepted by a 50 fs, 800 nm laser pulse focused to ∼10 μ m spot size. We demonstrate the generation of monoenergetic 2 keV Ar ^+ ion pulses with 180 ps duration (FWHM) at laser peak intensities around 10 ^14 W cm ^−2 and of multiply charged Ar ^q ^+ ions ( q = 1–5) at higher laser intensities. The results are in good agreement with detailed ion trajectory simulations, which show that the temporal resolution is essentially limited by the initial (thermal) velocity spread of the generated photo-ions, indicating the possibility to achieve even better time resolution by cooling the gas prior to ionization.https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/abe443ion solid interactionultrashort ion pulsesfemtosecond laser ionizationstrong field photoionizationtunnel ionizationion bunching |
| spellingShingle | Alexander Golombek Lars Breuer Lisa Danzig Paul Kucharczyk Marika Schleberger Klaus Sokolowski-Tinten Andreas Wucher Generation of ultrashort keV Ar+ ion pulses via femtosecond laser photoionization New Journal of Physics ion solid interaction ultrashort ion pulses femtosecond laser ionization strong field photoionization tunnel ionization ion bunching |
| title | Generation of ultrashort keV Ar+ ion pulses via femtosecond laser photoionization |
| title_full | Generation of ultrashort keV Ar+ ion pulses via femtosecond laser photoionization |
| title_fullStr | Generation of ultrashort keV Ar+ ion pulses via femtosecond laser photoionization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Generation of ultrashort keV Ar+ ion pulses via femtosecond laser photoionization |
| title_short | Generation of ultrashort keV Ar+ ion pulses via femtosecond laser photoionization |
| title_sort | generation of ultrashort kev ar ion pulses via femtosecond laser photoionization |
| topic | ion solid interaction ultrashort ion pulses femtosecond laser ionization strong field photoionization tunnel ionization ion bunching |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/abe443 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alexandergolombek generationofultrashortkevarionpulsesviafemtosecondlaserphotoionization AT larsbreuer generationofultrashortkevarionpulsesviafemtosecondlaserphotoionization AT lisadanzig generationofultrashortkevarionpulsesviafemtosecondlaserphotoionization AT paulkucharczyk generationofultrashortkevarionpulsesviafemtosecondlaserphotoionization AT marikaschleberger generationofultrashortkevarionpulsesviafemtosecondlaserphotoionization AT klaussokolowskitinten generationofultrashortkevarionpulsesviafemtosecondlaserphotoionization AT andreaswucher generationofultrashortkevarionpulsesviafemtosecondlaserphotoionization |