Femtosecond laser ablation and ionization of particles

Femtosecond lasers allow for precise laser ablation (Chichkov, B. N. et al., 1996) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/-ionization (MALDI) (Cui, Y. et al., 2015). In particular, its short duration minimizes structural changes and heat damage of the target. This feature, frequently exploited in laser micromachining, will be applied for desorption and ionization of aerosols in order to open new perspectives for future techniques in environmental monitoring.