Ion time-of-flight study of laser ablation of silver in low pressure gases

The dynamics of ions from a laser-ablated silver target in low pressure background atmospheres have been investigated in a simple geometry using an electrical probe. A simple scattering picture for the first transmitted peak of the observed plume splitting has been used to calculate cross sections of the ablated silver ions in oxygen s O24s4.8=10y16 cm2 . and in argon s Ar4s6.7=10y16 cm2 .. The dynamics of the blast wave is well described by blast wave theory. q1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved