Velocity and relative number density determination within a pulsed laser ablation plume via Doppler planar laser-induced fluorescence

Summary form only given. Laser ablation is an area of considerable interest because its applications include processes such as pulsed laser deposition (PLD). However, to optimize these methods, an extensive characterization of plume behavior is necessary. One important parameter is the velocity distribution within the plume. By monitoring fluorescent emission at a certain detuning from the center of a resonant excitation line, it is possible to instantaneously determine a velocity component of the emitting species. In this experiment, a Sr target was ablated with the frequency-tripled output of a focused Nd:YAG laser (355 nm) beam.