SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF PARTICULATES FORMED FROM METALLIC SURFACES BY LASER VAPORIZATION

By observation of scattered radiation at 90 degree relative to a probe laser beam, the particulate matter that is formed above metallic surfaces following laser vaporization can be monitored. An acoustooptic deflector scans the direction of the probe beam so that spatially and temporally resolved distributions can be recorded from a single transient event. Disstinct scattering maps ar obtained as a function of laser power, surface property, absorption characteristics, and material volatility. The results can be used to understand the laser-surface interactions, so that atom formation can be better controlled for analytical applications.