Related papers: Laser-induced 3D alignment and orientation of quan…
A moderately intense $450$ fs laser pulse is used to create rotational wave packets in gas phase $\rm{I_2}$ molecules. The ensuing time-dependent alignment, measured by Coulomb explosion imaging with a delayed probe pulse, exhibits the…
We present a novel method for probing the alignment of the molecular axis of an ultracold, nonpolar dimer. These results are obtained using diatomic $^{87}\textrm{Rb}_2$ molecules in the vibrational ground state of the lowest triplet…
Fixing molecules in space is a crucial step for the imaging of molecular structure and dynamics. Here, we demonstrate three-dimensional (3D) field-free alignment of the prototypical asymmetric top molecule indole using elliptically…
We present a theoretical study of the time-dependent laser alignment of molecules taking into account the hyperfine coupling due to nuclear-quadrupole interactions. The coupling of nuclear spins to the overall angular momentum of molecules…
The manipulation of the motion of neutral molecules with electric or magnetic fields has seen tremendous progress over the last decade. Recently, these techniques have been extended to the manipulation of large and complex molecules. In…
We report the experimental observation of alignment to orientation conversion in the 7D_3/2 and 9D_3/2 states of Cs in the presence of an external dc electric field, and without the influence of magnetic fields or atomic collisions. Initial…
We study the excitation of asymmetric-top (including chiral) molecules by two-color femtosecond laser pulses. In the cases of non-chiral asymmetric-top molecules excited by an orthogonally polarized two-color pulse, we demonstrate,…
Genetic algorithms, as implemented in optimal control strategies, are currently successfully exploited in a wide range of problems in molecular physics. In this context, laser control of molecular alignment and orientation remains a very…
Following excitation by a strong ultra-short laser pulse, molecules develop coordinated rotational motion, exhibiting transient alignment along the direction of the laser electric field, followed by periodic full and fractional revivals…
We introduce a new optical tool - a "two-dimensional optical centrifuge", capable of aligning molecules in extreme rotational states. Unlike the conventional centrifuge, which confines the molecules in the plane of their rotation, its…
We make use of an inhomogeneous electrostatic dipole field to impart a quantum-state-dependent deflection to a pulsed beam of OCS molecules, and show that those molecules residing in the absolute ground state, $X ^1\Sigma^+$, $\ket{00^00}$,…
The recent progress towards production of near-ground state quantum-degenerate molecules raises the issue of how such "small" molecules behave in an optical lattice. In this Letter we show that the coupling of the molecular orientation to…
We present a theoretical study of the mixed-field orientation of molecules without rotational symmetry. The time-dependent one-dimensional and three-dimensional orientation of a thermal ensemble of 6-chloropyridazine-3-carbonitrile…
We study interaction of generic asymmetric molecules with a pair of strong time-delayed short laser pulses with crossed linear polarizations. We show that such an excitation not only provides unidirectional rotation of the most polarizable…
We demonstrate a hard x-ray probe of laser-aligned small molecules. To align small molecules with optical lasers, high intensities at nonresonant wavelengths are necessary. We use 95 ps pulses focused to 40 mum from an 800 nm Ti:sapphire…
We consider deflection of rotating symmetric molecules by inhomogeneous optical and static electric fields, compare results with the case of linear molecules, and find new singularities in the distribution of the scattering angle.…
We consider deflection of polarizable molecules by inhomogeneous optical fields, and analyze the role of molecular orientation and rotation in the scattering process. It is shown that molecular rotation induces spectacular rainbow-like…
Intense laser-driven proton pulses, inherently broadband and highly divergent, pose a challenge to established beamline concepts on the path to application-adapted irradiation field formation, particularly for 3D. Here we experimentally…
The laser-induced alignment-and-orientation (A&O) dynamics of the prolate symmetric top CH$_3$X (X = F, Cl, Br, I) molecules is investigated, with particular emphasis on the effect of halogen substitution on the rotational constants, dipole…
Laser-induced electron diffraction is an evolving tabletop method, which aims to image ultrafast structural changes in gas-phase polyatomic molecules with sub-{\AA}ngstr\"om spatial and femtosecond temporal resolution. Here, we provide the…