Mechanism of IR and UV Laser-Induced Evaporation and Ablation From Condensed Molecular Systems

Abstract

AbstractThe main features of evaporation of organic molecules from Van der Waals films with resonant IR photons and ablation of organic material and fragments from polymers with UV photons, resulting from time-of-flight experiments, are discussed. These results point to a photothermal mechanism. The experimental facts known so far can be explained using thermodynamic and kinetic arguments. No principal difference is found for breaking Van der Waals bonds with IR photons and chemical bonds employing UV photons.