Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2026
11:20
Investigation of Early Plasma Evolution Induced by Ultrashort Laser Pulses
Published on: July 2, 2012
Impact-ionization cooling in laser-induced plasma filaments.
A Filin1, R Compton, D A Romanov
1Center for Advanced Photonics Research, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|June 13, 2009
Summary
Laser-induced plasma channels in noble gases show increasing ionization with heavier elements. Electron temperatures rapidly decrease post-plasma formation, consistent with impact ionization cooling models.
Area of Science:
- Plasma Physics
- Atomic and Molecular Physics
- Laser-Induced Phenomena
Background:
- Understanding laser-matter interactions is crucial for applications like laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and plasma generation.
- Noble gases provide a systematic series for studying ionization dynamics due to their varying atomic properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ionization rates and electron dynamics in laser-induced plasma channels across the noble gas series (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe).
- To compare experimental findings with theoretical models like the Ammosov-Delone-Krainov (ADK) theory and impact-ionization cooling models.
Main Methods:
- Generation of laser-induced plasma channels in noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe) at 1.0 atm.
- Measurement of continuous-wave (cw) fluorescence emission to assess ionization rates.
- Utilizing four-wave mixing to determine electron temperatures and dynamics post-plasma formation.
Main Results:
- Superlinear increase in cw fluorescence emission from He to Xe, aligning with ADK tunnel ionization calculations.
- Electron temperatures decreased from over 20 eV to below 1 eV.
- Observed electron cooling time constants varied from 1 ns (He) to 100 ps (Xe), consistent with impact ionization cooling.
Conclusions:
- The study confirms the predictive power of the ADK model for ionization rates in noble gas plasma channels.
- The observed electron temperature evolution supports the impact-ionization cooling model for laser-induced plasmas.
- Results provide insights into fundamental plasma physics and laser-matter interactions in gases.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Principle
Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is the most widely used plasma source in atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), also known as Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The ICP source, or torch, consists of three concentric quartz tubes with argon gas flowing through them. A spark from a Tesla coil initiates the ionization of argon, generating a high-temperature plasma.
The ions and electrons produced interact with the fluctuating magnetic field created by a water-cooled...
The ions and electrons produced interact with the fluctuating magnetic field created by a water-cooled...
01:19Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (ICP–MS): Overview
In inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP–MS), an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) torch is used as an atomizer and ionizer. Solid samples are dissolved and volatilized before being introduced into the high-temperature argon plasma, while solution samples are nebulized and passed through the high-temperature argon plasma. Plasma dissociates the analytes and ionizes their component atoms to form a mixture of positive ions and molecular species. The positive ions are then passed on to...
01:26Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Instrumentation
Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is the common plasma source used in atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), a technique that detects and analyzes various elements in a sample. This method is often called inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES).
There are three main types of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) instruments: sequential, simultaneous multichannel, and Fourier transform instruments, with the latter being less commonly used.
There are three main types of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) instruments: sequential, simultaneous multichannel, and Fourier transform instruments, with the latter being less commonly used.
01:23Induced Electric Fields
The fact that emfs are induced in circuits implies that work is being done on the conduction electrons in the wires. What can possibly be the source of this work? We know that it’s neither a battery nor a magnetic field, as a battery does not have to be present in a circuit where current is induced, and magnetic fields never do any work on moving charges. The source of the work is in fact an electric field that is induced in the wires. For example, if a stationary conductor is placed in a...
01:27Induced Electric Fields: Applications
An important distinction exists between the electric field induced by a changing magnetic field and the electrostatic field produced by a fixed charge distribution. Specifically, the induced electric field is nonconservative because it does not work in moving a charge over a closed path. In contrast, the electrostatic field is conservative and does no net work over a closed path. Hence, electric potential can be associated with the electrostatic field but not the induced field. The following...