An experimental study of the evolution of nanosecond pulsed lasers absorbed by Ni metal is presented. The ions ejected near fluence threshold fit single Maxwell-Boltzmann distributions (MBDs) whereas the ion distributions at higher fluences have side-bands whose maxima match accurately those of the ionization and recombination precursors. It is demonstrated that ions are trapped for approximate to 1 mu s and further ejected in a few picoseconds whereas electrons have shorter dead time (approximate to 10 ns) and continue evaporating for as long as approximate to 1 mu s. Radiation is partially trapped during the creation of the electric field that ejects ions. The evolution also applies to other metals. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.