ABSTRACT
In [3] a compact gas cloud created by laser ablation was used as a source of neutrals flowing towards the laser produced ions. Sharp density gradients of the gas cloud and a controllable gap between the plasma target and the gas front allowed to realize efficient and direct charge-exchange interaction at densities of neutrals >1016 cm"3 and of ions at about 1015 cm"3. In this approach, however, a further increase of the ion density in the interaction region seems to be problematic since it is difficult to position the ablation gas cloud close enough to the plasma target.
