Low temperature plasmas are one of the best media for CO2 decomposition — the split - up of the molecule into oxygen and carbon monoxide — both by
direct electron impact, and by transferring electron energy into vibrational excitation.»
Using tunneling ionization and ultrashort laser pulses, scientists have been able to observe the structure of a molecule and the changes that take place within billionths of a billionth of a second when it is excited by
an electron impact.
The Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor is a thermal vaporization,
electron impact, ionization mass spectrometer that measures bulk chemical composition of the rapidly evaporating component of sub-micron aerosol particles in real time.