Detection of electric-field-ionized Rydberg atoms originating from laser ablation of Si

Si* Rydberg atoms in plasmas originating from laser ablation of Si were identified, employing deflection plates for electric-field ionization and a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The angle-resolved time-of-flight and yield distributions of these species showed that both the most probable time-of-flight and the yield of the Si* atoms decreased with an increasing detection angle, as in the case of laser ablated neutrals. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.