Lateral confinement of laser ablation plasma in magnetic field

The expansion of copper laser-produced plasma along a magnetic field was investigated with the aim of confining the lateral expansion of the plasma. Time-resolved optical imaging, time- and space-resolved optical emission spectroscopy and time-of-flight Langmuir ion probe measurements were used to study the plasma dynamics. Thin films of copper were deposited without, and with, the magnetic field. It was observed that the magnetic field gives rise to substantial confinement of the plasma, leading to an increase by a factor of 6 in the ion yield and 2.6 in the deposition rate.