title: Spectroscopic investigations of high-energy-density plasma transformations in a simulated early reducing atmosphere containing methane, nitrogen and water.
abstract: Large-scale plasma was created in gas mixtures containing methane using high-power laser-induced dielectric breakdown (LIDB). The composition of the mixtures corresponded to a cometary and/or meteoritic impact into the early atmosphere of either Titan or Earth. A multiple-centimeter-sized fireball was created by focusing a single 100 J, 450 ps near-infrared laser pulse into the center of a 15 L gas cell. The excited reaction intermediates formed during the various stages of the LIDB plasma chemical evolution were investigated using optical emission spectroscopy (OES) with temporal resolution. The chemical consequences of laser-produced plasma generation in a CH4-N2-H2O mixture were investigated using high resolution Fourier-transform infrared absorption spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas selected ion flow tube spectrometry (SIFT). Several simple inorganic and organic compounds were identified in the reaction mixture exposed to ten laser sparks. Deuterated water (D2O) in a gas mixture was used to separate several of the produced isotopomers of acetylene, which were then quantified using the FTIR technique.
authors.affiliation: J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 3, 182 23 Prague 8, Czech Republic. svatopluk.civis@jh-inst.cas.cz.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Civiš
authors.affiliation: J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 3, 182 23 Prague 8, Czech Republic. svatopluk.civis@jh-inst.cas.cz.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferus
authors.affiliation: J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 3, 182 23 Prague 8, Czech Republic. svatopluk.civis@jh-inst.cas.cz.
authors.forename: Antonín
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Knížek
authors.affiliation: J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 3, 182 23 Prague 8, Czech Republic. svatopluk.civis@jh-inst.cas.cz and Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague 8, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kubelík
authors.affiliation: J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 3, 182 23 Prague 8, Czech Republic. svatopluk.civis@jh-inst.cas.cz.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamas
authors.affiliation: J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 3, 182 23 Prague 8, Czech Republic. svatopluk.civis@jh-inst.cas.cz.
authors.forename: Patrik
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Španěl
authors.affiliation: J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 3, 182 23 Prague 8, Czech Republic. svatopluk.civis@jh-inst.cas.cz.
authors.forename: Ksenia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dryahina
authors.affiliation: J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 3, 182 23 Prague 8, Czech Republic. svatopluk.civis@jh-inst.cas.cz.
authors.forename: Violetta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Shestivska
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague 8, Czech Republic and Institute of Plasma Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00 Prague 8, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Libor
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Juha
authors.affiliation: Safety and Health Expert Institute, Ostrovského 253, 150 00 Prague 5, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Skřehot
authors.affiliation: J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 3, 182 23 Prague 8, Czech Republic. svatopluk.civis@jh-inst.cas.cz and František Krejčí Observatory, K Letišti 144, 36001 Carlsbad, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Vojtěch
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0583-0703
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Laitl
authors.affiliation: J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 3, 182 23 Prague 8, Czech Republic. svatopluk.civis@jh-inst.cas.cz.
authors.forename: Svatopluk
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Civiš