Mass-resolved two-dimensional momentum imaging of the Coulomb explosion of N2 and SO2 in an intense laser field

The Coulomb explosion reactions of N-2 and SO2 caused by the irradiation of intense laser light were investigated by high-resolution mass spectroscopy. For N-2, from the least-squares fit to the split mass patterns for the N+, N2+ and N3+ channels, kinetic energy releases of six explosion pathways were determined. By rotating the laser polarization direction with respect to the detection axis, angular distributions for the singly and multiply charged atomic ion fragments were obtained and were converted to mass-resolved two-dimensional momentum imaging (MRMI) maps. This MRMI method was found to be useful to correlate ion fragments produced after the Coulomb explosion. MRMI was also applied to the Coulomb explosion of SO2. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.