Agradecimentos: We thank A. Swiderski for technical support and the TTF team at DESY for providing the FEL beam and the photon diagnostics. This work was supported by DFG

Abstract: The response of Ar clusters to intense vacuum-ultraviolet pulses is investigated with photoion spectroscopy By varying the laser wavelength, the initial excitation was either tuned to absorption bands of surface or bulk atoms of clusters. Multiple ionization is observed, which leads to...

Abstract: The response of Ar clusters to intense vacuum-ultraviolet pulses is investigated with photoion spectroscopy By varying the laser wavelength, the initial excitation was either tuned to absorption bands of surface or bulk atoms of clusters. Multiple ionization is observed, which leads to Coulomb explosion. The efficiency of resonant 2-photon ionization for initial bulk and surface excitation is compared with that of the norresonant process at different laser intensities. The specific electronic structure of clusters plays almost no role in the explosion dynamics at a peak intensity larger than 1.8 X 10(12) W/cm(2). The inner ionization of atoms for resonant and nonresonant excitation is then saturated and the energy deposition is mainly controlled by the plasma heating rate. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that standard collisional heating cannot fully account for the strong energy absorption

Aberto