NEUTRAL CARBON CLUSTER DISTRIBUTION UPON LASER VAPORIZATION

The mass distribution of neutral carbon clusters generated by a laser vaporization of graphite in He was safely determined by a single photo n (10.5 eV) ionization technique. The resulting mass distribution was surprisingly different from those reported in previous articles. It wa s found that the carbon clusters generated under a moderate laser flue nce condition (0.1-1 J/cm(2)) consists of mostly even-numbered monocyc lic rings with the cluster sizes of n = 10-18. The formation mechanism of such neutral carbon clusters upon laser irradiation is discussed. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.