title: Recombination-Enhanced Surface Expansion of Clusters in Intense Soft X-Ray Laser Pulses.
abstract: We studied the nanoplasma formation and explosion dynamics of single large xenon clusters in ultrashort, intense x-ray free-electron laser pulses via ion spectroscopy. The simultaneous measurement of single-shot diffraction images enabled a single-cluster analysis that is free from any averaging over the cluster size and laser intensity distributions. The measured charge state-resolved ion energy spectra show narrow distributions with peak positions that scale linearly with final ion charge state. These two distinct signatures are attributed to highly efficient recombination that eventually leads to the dominant formation of neutral atoms in the cluster. The measured mean ion energies exceed the value expected without recombination by more than an order of magnitude, indicating that the energy release resulting from electron-ion recombination constitutes a previously unnoticed nanoplasma heating process. This conclusion is supported by results from semiclassical molecular dynamics simulations.
authors: IOAP, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Daniela
authors: D
authors: Rupp
authors: IOAP, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany.|ARC Centre of Excellence for Advanced Molecular Imaging, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia.
authors: Leonie
authors: L
authors: Flückiger
authors: IOAP, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Marcus
authors: M
authors: Adolph
authors: IOAP, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany.|LCLS, SLAC, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
authors: Tais
authors: T
authors: Gorkhover
authors: IOAP, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Krikunova
authors: IOAP, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Jan Philippe
authors: JP
authors: Müller
authors: IOAP, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Müller
authors: IOAP, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Tim
authors: T
authors: Oelze
authors: IOAP, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Yevheniy
authors: Y
authors: Ovcharenko
authors: IOAP, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Benjamin
authors: B
authors: Röben
authors: IOAP, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Sauppe
authors: IOAP, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany.|LCLS, SLAC, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
authors: Sebastian
authors: S
authors: Schorb
authors: IOAP, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Wolter
authors: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Rolf
authors: R
authors: Mitzner
authors: Universität Münster, Wilhelm-Klemm-Straße 10, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Wöstmann
authors: Universität Münster, Wilhelm-Klemm-Straße 10, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors: Sebastian
authors: S
authors: Roling
authors: FLASH, DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany.
authors: Marion
authors: M
authors: Harmand
authors: FLASH, DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany.
authors: Rolf
authors: R
authors: Treusch
authors: Institut für Physik, Universität Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Straße 23, 18059 Rostock, Germany.
authors: Mathias
authors: M
authors: Arbeiter
authors: Institut für Physik, Universität Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Straße 23, 18059 Rostock, Germany.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Fennel
authors: LCLS, SLAC, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.|Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA.|Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
authors: Christoph
authors: C
authors: Bostedt
authors: IOAP, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Möller