This article is cited in 42 papers

REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS

Studies on high-intensity pulsed molecular beams and flows interacting with a solid surface

G. N. Makarov

Institute of Spectroscopy, Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract: A high-intensity, pulsed, gasdynamically cooled supersonic molecular flow (beam) interacting with a solid surface produces a pressure shock with nonequilibrium conditions T_2,tr ≥T_2,rot ≥T_2,vib inverse to those in the incident beam, T_1,tr ≤T_1,rot≤T_1,vib, (T_i,tr, T_i,rot, and T_i,vib are the translational, rotational, and vibrational molecular temperatures, respectively). This provides the possibility for studying the isotopically selective IR multiphoton molecular dissociation under new nonequilibrium conditions and for considerably increasing the efficiency of the process. Due to pressure shock formation near the surface, duration-controlled molecular beam pulses, intense kinetic-energy-variable secondary molecular beams, and intense beams of accelerated cold radicals can be obtained. In the present paper, research aimed at producing duration-controlled molecular beams, high-intensity secondary pulsed molecular beams, high-energy secondary pulsed molecular beams with IR-laser-controlled kinetic energy, and low-energy molecular beams is reviewed.

PACS: 33.80.-b, 42.62.Fi, 82.40.Fp, 82.50.Bc

Received: November 30, 2002

DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0173.200309a.0913

 English version: Physics–Uspekhi, 2003, 46:9, 889–914

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