Full Alignment of Molecules Using Elliptically Polarized Light

Jakob Juul Larsen; Kasper Hald; Tamar Seideman; Nis Bjerre; Henrik Stapelfeldt

Full Alignment of Molecules Using Elliptically Polarized Light

Jakob Juul Larsen, Kasper Hald, Tamar Seideman, Nis Bjerre, Henrik Stapelfeldt

Department of Chemistry

Research output: Contribution to conference › Conference abstract for conference › Research

Abstract

When a molecule with an anisotropic polarizability is placed in a strong nonresonant laser field the interaction occurs through the induced dipole moment. The outcome is that the molecule experiences an angular dependent potential energy. It is now well established that a linearly polarized laser field can be used to align molecules along their axis of highest polarizability. Here we demonstrate, theoretically and experimentally, that an elliptically polarized laser field can be used to simultaneously force two axes of a molecule into alignment through the same mechanism. Due to the rigidity of the molecule the third axis is also aligned. Experimentally, we investigate the effect by aligning 3,4-dibromothiophene molecules with a strong, nonresonant, nanosecond laser pulse. The alignment is probed by Coulomb exploding the molecules with an intense 20 femtosecond laser pulse. Detection of the emerging S^+ and Br^+ ions using 2d ion imaging reveals the alignment

Original language	English
Publication date	2000
Publication status	Published - 2000
Event	DAMOP meeting - Storrs, Conneticut, United States Duration: 14 Jun 2000 → 17 Jun 2000

Conference

Conference	DAMOP meeting
Country/Territory	United States
City	Storrs, Conneticut
Period	14/06/2000 → 17/06/2000

Cite this

@conference{9e02aa0f69f44c05aee5dfd4f97d64e5,

title = "Full Alignment of Molecules Using Elliptically Polarized Light",

abstract = "When a molecule with an anisotropic polarizability is placed in a strong nonresonant laser field the interaction occurs through the induced dipole moment. The outcome is that the molecule experiences an angular dependent potential energy. It is now well established that a linearly polarized laser field can be used to align molecules along their axis of highest polarizability. Here we demonstrate, theoretically and experimentally, that an elliptically polarized laser field can be used to simultaneously force two axes of a molecule into alignment through the same mechanism. Due to the rigidity of the molecule the third axis is also aligned. Experimentally, we investigate the effect by aligning 3,4-dibromothiophene molecules with a strong, nonresonant, nanosecond laser pulse. The alignment is probed by Coulomb exploding the molecules with an intense 20 femtosecond laser pulse. Detection of the emerging S^+ and Br^+ ions using 2d ion imaging reveals the alignment",

author = "Larsen, {Jakob Juul} and Kasper Hald and Tamar Seideman and Nis Bjerre and Henrik Stapelfeldt",

year = "2000",

language = "English",

note = "DAMOP meeting ; Conference date: 14-06-2000 Through 17-06-2000",

}

TY - ABST

T1 - Full Alignment of Molecules Using Elliptically Polarized Light

AU - Larsen, Jakob Juul

AU - Hald, Kasper

AU - Seideman, Tamar

AU - Bjerre, Nis

AU - Stapelfeldt, Henrik

PY - 2000

Y1 - 2000

N2 - When a molecule with an anisotropic polarizability is placed in a strong nonresonant laser field the interaction occurs through the induced dipole moment. The outcome is that the molecule experiences an angular dependent potential energy. It is now well established that a linearly polarized laser field can be used to align molecules along their axis of highest polarizability. Here we demonstrate, theoretically and experimentally, that an elliptically polarized laser field can be used to simultaneously force two axes of a molecule into alignment through the same mechanism. Due to the rigidity of the molecule the third axis is also aligned. Experimentally, we investigate the effect by aligning 3,4-dibromothiophene molecules with a strong, nonresonant, nanosecond laser pulse. The alignment is probed by Coulomb exploding the molecules with an intense 20 femtosecond laser pulse. Detection of the emerging S^+ and Br^+ ions using 2d ion imaging reveals the alignment

AB - When a molecule with an anisotropic polarizability is placed in a strong nonresonant laser field the interaction occurs through the induced dipole moment. The outcome is that the molecule experiences an angular dependent potential energy. It is now well established that a linearly polarized laser field can be used to align molecules along their axis of highest polarizability. Here we demonstrate, theoretically and experimentally, that an elliptically polarized laser field can be used to simultaneously force two axes of a molecule into alignment through the same mechanism. Due to the rigidity of the molecule the third axis is also aligned. Experimentally, we investigate the effect by aligning 3,4-dibromothiophene molecules with a strong, nonresonant, nanosecond laser pulse. The alignment is probed by Coulomb exploding the molecules with an intense 20 femtosecond laser pulse. Detection of the emerging S^+ and Br^+ ions using 2d ion imaging reveals the alignment

M3 - Conference abstract for conference

T2 - DAMOP meeting

Y2 - 14 June 2000 through 17 June 2000

ER -

Full Alignment of Molecules Using Elliptically Polarized Light

Abstract

Conference

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