Desorption of NO/Pd(111) induced by subpicosecond laser pulses: internal energy distributions

Results are presented on the desorption of nitric oxide (NO) from a Pd(111) surface under exposure to visible laser radiation in a 200-fs pulse. The desorption process for this prototype system of a diatomic molecule chemisorbed on a nonreactive metal surface has been investigated by measuring the yield and energy distribution of the desorbed molecules. The salient features of the experiment are described, with emphasis on the internal energy distributions of the desorbed NO molecules. A rotational energy distribution for desorbed NO molecules in the ground vibrational and electronic states is shown and discussed.