Studies on high-intensity pulsed molecular beams and flows interacting with a solid surface

A high-intensity, pulsed, gasdynamically cooled supersonic molecular flow (beam) interacting with a solid surface produces a pressure shock with nonequilibrium conditions T-2,T-tr greater than or equal to T-2,T-rot greater than or equal to T-2,T-vib inverse to those in the incident beam, T-1,T-tr less than or equal to T-1,T-rot less than or equal to T-1,T-vib, (T-i,T-tr, T-i,T-rot, and T-i,T-vib are the translational, rotational, and vibrational molecular temperatures, respectively). This provides the possibility for studying the isotopically selective IR multiphoton molecular dissociation under new nonequilibrium conditions and for considerably increasing the efficiency of the process. Due to pressure shock formation near the surface, duration-controlled molecular beam pulses, intense kinetic-energy-variable secondary molecular beams, and intense beams of accelerated cold radicals can be obtained. In the present paper, research aimed at producing duration-controlled molecular beams, high-intensity secondary pulsed molecular beams, high-energy secondary pulsed molecular beams with IR-laser-controlled kinetic energy, and low-energy molecular beams is reviewed.