Düsseldorf 2007 – scientific programme
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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 26: Anwendung ultrakurzer Lichtimpulse II
Q 26.1: Talk
Tuesday, March 20, 2007, 14:00–14:15, 5K
Sub-femtosecond control of electron localization in molecular dissociation — •Matthias Kling — AMOLF, Amsterdam, Niederlande
Laser light with a controlled evolution of the electric field E(t) = a(t)*cos(ω (t) + φ ) recently became available when, in addition to the amplitude a(t) and frequency ω control of the carrier-envelope phase φ was accomplished. The well-controlled force varying on a sub-femtosecond timescale that such a wave exerts on electrons permitted the reliable and reproducible generation of single sub-femtosecond pulses by means of
high-order harmonic generation, controlled electron emission from atoms and made possible precision attosecond metrology. The question remains if this capability can be extended to electrons in molecular
orbitals and - if so - can light-driven electronic motion in
chemical bonds affect reaction dynamics?
We present experiments on the dissociation of D2+ into D+ + D by intense few-cycle laser pulses with controlled field evolution and report a pronounced dependence of the direction of the D+ ejection (and hence of the localization of the electron in the system) on the waveform driving the reaction [M.F. Kling et al., Science 312 (2006) 246]. Quantum-classical
computations reveal that light-field control of molecular electron dynamics is responsible for the observed phenomenon.