Molecular emission dynamics from a femtosecond filament induced plasma plume

In this study, we investigated the filament-induced plasma properties and the associated molecular emission features from three different non-metallic samples. Graphite, polymethyl methacrylate, and Teflon samples have been ablated using a tightly focused filament, and their emission spectra were analyzed using a time-integrated optical emission spectroscopy technique. The temporal responses and evolution dynamics of molecular species such as CN and C2 from these samples in ambient conditions are compared. The tightly focused filament was generated by focusing the Ti:Sapphire femtosecond pulses having a pulse duration of 29 fs using a short focal length external focusing system. The time-integrated intensified charge-coupled device images of air filament show that the filament survives up to a few nanosecond time duration after the onset of air plasma. The influence of physical and chemical properties of the samples during filament ablation has also been studied by characterizing the optical emission spectra. We find that the molecular signal intensity strongly depends on the sample properties and the position of the sample in the filament. The increase in molecular emission intensity from a graphite sample as a function of incident laser intensity suggests that the tightly focused filament surpasses the intensity clamping value.