Metallic nanocluster formation in neutral gas-confined laser produced plasma afterglow

Yong W. Kim, Hedok Lee, Paul Belony

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10 Scopus citations

Abstract

Dense atom vapors are created as remnants of a three-dimensional (3D) laser-produced plasma (LPP) plume driven from a solid aluminum target by a gigawatt-class Nd:glass laser pulse. Formation of nanoclusters as the terminal state of aluminum vapors has been investigated. By plasma structure diagnosis, we have fully characterized the LPP plume in 3D as a function of time and from its evolution modeled its cooling to the critical point in more than 110 000 vapor cells. Clustering of atoms is calculated by numerical simulation of interparticle collisions. When the cluster size histogram is rescaled relative to the maximum population and the maximal radius, the rescaled histograms all collapse into a single functional form regardless of the time or the initial atom vapor density. The cluster size distribution for the entire plasma plume is obtained by summing over all plasma cells. Independently, the clusters are captured onto electron microscope grids and size analyzed by means of transmission electron microscopy. The computed result is in excellent agreement with the measured histograms of clusters by size.

Original languageEnglish
Article number10F115
JournalReview of Scientific Instruments
Volume77
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - 2006

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