Bonn 2025 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

MO: Fachverband Molekülphysik

MO 21: Poster – Interaction with Strong or Short Laser Pulses (joint session A/MO)

MO 21.5: Poster

Wednesday, March 12, 2025, 17:00–19:00, Tent

Electron-nuclear dynamics in dissociative strong-field ionization of D₂ — •Paul Winter and Manfred Lein — Leibniz University Hannover, Germany

In a neutral diatomic molecule, the removal of an electron by a strong field is a much faster process than the subsequent breakup of the ionized molecule, primarily due to the significant difference in mass between the rapidly moving electrons and the considerably heavier nuclei. This mass disparity also suggests that during strong-field ionization with a linearly polarized pulse, the rescattering electron may not significantly affect molecular dynamics. If, however, electrons rescatter inelastically with the core, vibrational excitation could take place [1].

To explore this mechanism, we have developed a non-Born-Oppenheimer model in which we solve the time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE), treating the electron in two dimensions and the internuclear motion in one dimension. Additionally, we have incorporated the first excited state of the ionized molecule to account for typical dissociation phenomena such as bond-softening and above-threshold dissociation (ATD). With this model, we can calculate photoelectron momentum distributions (PMDs) as a function of the kinetic energy release of the nuclei, paving the way for detailed studies of coupled electron-nuclear dynamics.
[1] S. Hell, G.G. Paulus, M. Kübel, private communication

Keywords: coupled electron-nuclear dynamics; numerical TDSE simulations; molecules; dissoziation; ionization