Anisotropic "charge-flipping" acceleration of highly charged ions from (N₂)_n clusters in strong optical fields

The disassembly of molecular clusters $(N_2)_n$ ($n$=50-3000) in strong optical fields is investigated using two-dimensional time-of-flight spectrometry. Very highly charged ions are formed with a two-component energy distribution. A low-energy, isotropic component correlates with Coulomb explosion. A high-energy, anisotropic component, that results from a ``charge flipping" acceleration mechanism, gives rise to ions with energies in excess of the Coulombic limit.