Gas-phase molecular formation in multi-component laser-produced plasmas

Chemistry evolution in transient plasma or fireball systems in air comprised of multiple elements is extremely complex, owing to numerous ionic, atomic, and molecular species present, overlapping spectral lines, and the gas-phase oxidation. Although plasma chemistry is widely studied for analytical and material detection applications, tracking the chemical evolution from atoms and ions to diatoms, polyatoms, and larger molecules, nanoparticles, and agglomerates in a multi-component system remains largely unexplored.