Mass Spectrometric Fingerprinting of Tank Waste Using Tunable, Ultrafast Infrared Lasers

During the past year, we have initiated systematic studies of mass spectrometry of model tank-waste materials using both conventional nanosecond, single-frequency and tunable, subpicosecond mid-infrared lasers. In addition to making initial measurements, we have also constructed several new items of equipment for the experiment and begun to develop a model of the processes which lead to efficient desorption and ionization of organic molecules (e.g., toluene, benzene, crown ethers) from sodium nitrate. Comparisons of nanosecond and picosecond lasers, and of infrared and ultraviolet lasers, have been especially instructive. These accomplishments are detailed in the following paragraphs