Abstract
A novel, pulsed, supersonic, cluster-beam source based on microplasma ablation has been realized and tested. Its intensity and stability allows one to overcome the limitations encountered in laser vaporization and pulsed arc cluster sources. Supersonic carbon cluster beams have been obtained and characterized. Target ablation processes and cluster growth have been investigated, showing the presence of mechanisms substantially different from those observed in other plasma-based sources. In particular, we show that the precise confinement of the ablation plasma in the source is of fundamental importance for the production of cluster beams with high intensity and stability. This opens new opportunities for the study of free and supported clusters and for the synthesis of nanostructured materials.
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