Ion energy measurements from the interaction of atomic and molecular clusters with intense femtosecond laser pulses

We have measured multi-keV protons and similar to 100 keV iodine ions from the interaction of intense, femtosecond laser pulses with atomic Xe cluster s and mixed-species HI clusters. The explosion dynamics of the HI clusters differs from the pure H and I cluster cases, with the iodine energies being substantially reduced. Mixed-species clusters provide a possible route for boosting the explosion energies of low-Z ions, and extend the advantages o f the laser-cluster interaction to species that do not readily form pure cl usters.