Abstract

In conventional mass spectrometry, studies of the dynamics of processes occurring in the time scale between excitation (10⁻¹⁵ sec) and ion analysis (10⁻⁶ sec) are not possible to carry out. The use of two-color picosecond lasers of variable delay times as sources in mass spectrometry enables one to probe the dynamics of energy distribution and dissociation. This technique will be demonstrated and applied to a number of organic molecules from which important dynamic parameters of the multiphoton ionization dissociation process are obtained.

© 1984 Optical Society of America