Prof. Alexandr Bulgakov, Dr.Sc. and Oleksandr Gatsa, PhD from the Scientific Laser Applications (SLA) department of the HiLASE Centre have introduced a mass spectrometric system for studies of laser-matter interaction processes.
The system is made up of:
- a large laser ablation vacuum chamber (volume app. 100 l) where the studied processes occur;
- a high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF MS), an instrument for studying these processes;
- an intermediate separately pumped vacuum chamber between the ablation chamber and the MS.
The spectrometer allows for the study of interactions between laser and matter, the analysis of the composition of compound solid samples and gaseous mixtures (including detection of trace elements), or the optimization of various laser-based applications such as pulsed laser deposition (PLD), nanoparticle generation, laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT), etc.
The system is available within Open Access. It was used, for example, by representatives of the School of Chemistry of the University of Edinburgh, prof. Eleanor Campbell and Ph.D. student Elle Bethuen. Alongside researchers from the HiLASE Centre, they have published a paper on the topic of systematic investigations, both experimental and theoretical, of the melting of gold by single femto- and picosecond near-infrared laser pulses.
