Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Coulomb Explosion Imaging as a Tool to Distinguish Between Stereoisomers
Published on: August 18, 2017
Extreme dynamics and energetics of Coulomb explosion of Xe clusters
Andreas Heidenreich1, Isidore Last, Joshua Jortner
1Institut für Chemie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Brook-Taylor-Str. 2, D-12489, Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
Unique features of Coulomb explosion (CE) of many-electron elemental Xe(n) (n = 13-2171) clusters driven by ultraintense and ultrashort near-infrared laser pulses (peak intensities 10(15)-10(20) W cm(-2) and pulse lengths of 10-100 fs) manifest ion dynamics and energetics in the extreme, with ultrafast (5-15 A fs(-1)) velocities and ultrahigh (keV-1 MeV) energies. Relations were established between the CE attributes, obtained from molecular dynamics simulations and from electrostatic models, and the extreme cluster inner ionization levels (5-36 per ion), in conjunction with the laser parameters required for the attainment of complete outer ionization, which was approximated by cluster vertical ionization (CVI) initial conditions. Interrelationship between electron dynamics and nuclear dynamics stems from the effects of the laser pulse length on the energetics and from the characterization of the border radius for complete outer ionization. Our computational-theoretical analysis semi-quantitatively describes CE dynamics and energetics in the CVI limit and also the energetics in the presence of a persistent nanoplasma, which is in accord with experiment.
Related Concept Videos
Coulomb's Law
Newton's third law applies to the Coulomb force — the force on...
Coulomb's Law and The Principle of Superposition
The Principle of Superposition answers the question. Yes, Coulomb's Law applies to each pair of charges, and the net force on each charge is the vector sum of the...
Energy Associated With a Charge Distribution
Electron Configuration of Multielectron Atoms
Thomson's e/m Experiment
A particle with charge q, speed v, and mass m enters an area from the top, where the magnetic and electric fields are perpendicular both to the particle's motion and to one another. The magnetic...
Atomic Radii and Effective Nuclear Charge
