Production of high-energy neutral molecules in the laser-surface interaction

In studies of the particle emission produced in the laser-surface interaction, production of high-energy neutral molecules has been observed. When a flux density of the order of 10
⁸
W/cm
²
from a
Q
-switched ruby laser is absorbed by tungsten, nickel, titanium, carbon, and sodium targets, neutral molecules with energies of the order of 100 electron volts per molecule are observed in a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The dominant species appear to be H
2
, CO, and CO
2
. These observations are of interest in the study of the processes that occur in the laser-produced blowoff material.