Spatially and temporally resolved emission intensities and number densities in low temperature laser-induced plasmas in vacuum and in ambient gases

Spectroscopic measurements on plasmas produced by laser ablation of YBa2Cu3O7 show that the presence of ambient oxygen leads to enhanced local number densities and temperatures at the expanding front of the plasma plume. Enhanced local temperatures (and local excitation rates) are attributed to the increased collisional redistribution of high initial z-directed plume velocities observed via increased spectral line widths in ambient gases.