The design and characterization of a new laser-desorption molecular beam source, tailored for use in x-ray free-electron laser and ultrashort-pulse laser imaging experiments, is presented. It consists of a single mechanical unit containing all source components, including the molecular-beam valve, the sample, and the fiber-coupled desorption laser, which is movable in five axes, as required for experiments at central facilities. Utilizing strong-field ionization, we characterize the produced molecular beam and evaluate the influence of desorption laser pulse energy, relative timing of valve opening and desorption laser, sample bar height, and which part of the molecular packet is probed on the sample properties. Strong-field ionization acts as a universal probe and allows detecting all species present in the molecular beam, and hence enables us to analyze the purity of the produced molecular beam, including molecular fragments. We present optimized experimental parameters for the production of the purest molecular beam, containing the highest yield of intact parent ions, which we find to be very sensitive to the placement of the desorbed-molecule plumes within the supersonic expansion.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
14 October 2017
Research Article|
October 13 2017
Characterizing and optimizing a laser-desorption molecular beam source
Nicole Teschmit
;
Nicole Teschmit
1
Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
2
The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg
, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
3
Department of Chemistry, Universität Hamburg
, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Karol Długołęcki;
Karol Długołęcki
1
Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Daniel Gusa;
Daniel Gusa
1
Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Igor Rubinsky;
Igor Rubinsky
1
Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Daniel A. Horke
;
Daniel A. Horke
1
Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
2
The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg
, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Jochen Küpper
Jochen Küpper
a)
1
Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
2
The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg
, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
3
Department of Chemistry, Universität Hamburg
, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
4
Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg
, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
a)
Electronic mail: jochen.kuepper@cfel.de. URL: https://www.controlled-molecule-imaging.org.
J. Chem. Phys. 147, 144204 (2017)
Article history
Received:
June 22 2017
Accepted:
September 20 2017
Citation
Nicole Teschmit, Karol Długołęcki, Daniel Gusa, Igor Rubinsky, Daniel A. Horke, Jochen Küpper; Characterizing and optimizing a laser-desorption molecular beam source. J. Chem. Phys. 14 October 2017; 147 (14): 144204. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4991639
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionPay-Per-View Access
$40.00