Heterogeneous clusters as a model system for the study of ionization dynamics within tampered samples

Tampering of a sample with a layer of another material is a promising technique to slow down the expansion dynamics within laser irradiated samples, with sound implications for single-particle diffraction imaging. Ideally, if an imaged object is covered by a layer of another material, during the irradiation this layer will be primarily ionized and will expand fast due to Coulomb repulsion, whereas the object located within the net neutral core will expand more slowly (hydrodynamically). We investigate the details of the electronic damage within the tampered samples during their irradiation with an intense extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pulse. We study heterogeneous clusters composed of noble gas atoms, Xe and Ar, for which chemical-bond effects can be neglected. Using a fully nonequilibrium kinetic equation code, we demonstrate the influence of cluster composition on ionization dynamics; in particular, on the electronic damage. The results are obtained for the wavelength of 32 nm, which is available at the free-electron laser in Hamburg (FLASH) facility, but our conclusions can also have implications for samples with a more complex structure and irradiated at a much shorter wavelength.