Strong-field ionization of sputtered molecules for biomolecular imaging

Photoionization of molecules sputtered from molecular thin films has been achieved using high field 125 fs pulses in the mid-IR spectral range. Using several model systems, we show that it is possible to significantly reduce molecular fragmentation induced by the laser field by increasing the photoionization wavelength. By examining the photoionization spectra as a function of wavelength, it is apparent that the photoionization mechanism is changing from a non-adiabatic multi-electron excitation process to a process that involves tunnel ionization. The results of these observations are discussed in terms of their significance for bioimaging with focused ion beams and mass-spectrometry.