Measurements of electron energy distribution in tantalum laser-generated plasma

The time and space resolved characterization of laser-generated pulsed plasmas is useful not only for the comprehension of basic phenomena involved in the plasma generation and following supersonic expansion, but it also permits to control the nonequilibrium process that is useful for many applications (e.g., ion implantation). The "on-line" characterization can be performed by means of Langmuir probes, ion collectors, and ion energy analyzers, in order to measure the plasma temperatures and densities of atoms, ions, and electrons. The investigated plasmas were generated by means of laser pulses with intensity of the order of 10⁹ W/cm². The contemporary characterization of the electron (through the Langmuir probe) and ion energy distribution functions, EEDF and IEDF, respectively, permits to correlate the ion properties, like charge states and temperatures, with the electron properties, like the shape of the EEDF at different times and distances from the ablated target surface.