Ar+2 molecules in intense laser fields

✍ Scribed by Christof Wunderlich; Hartmut Figger; Theodor W. Hänsch

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 605 KB
• Volume: 256
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-2614
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-2614(96)00418-6

✦ Synopsis

We have studied the interaction between intense laser fields (~< 7 × 1012 W/cm 2) and molecules. For the diatomic molecular ion Ar~-the number of photofragments as a function of laser intensity can be quantitatively explained in terms of light-induced adiabatic molecular potentials. The effects predicted by this model tend to cancel under realistic experimental conditions with a thermal distribution of the rovibrational populations. This molecular beam experiment allows for a fully quantitative comparison with theory, since only one dissociation channel is operative and all parameters relevant for a computational simulation have been determined.