D. Pinkham, K. E. Mooney, and R.R. Jones
Abstract:We have used an ultrafast laser pulse-shaper in conjunction with a genetic algorithm to investigate dynamic alignment in room temperature CO. We find, in experiment and simulation, non-transform-limited laser pulse shapes that interact non-impulsively with the molecules, yet are just as effective for transient alignment as shorter transform-limited pulses with the same energy. We use principal control analysis to determine which pulse characteristics, in experiment and simulation, are most important for the alignment control we observe. The analysis results suggest that in spite of the fact that the aligning laser intensities (10^14 W/cm^2) are sufficiently large to induce ionization, a simple rigid rotor model with constant polarizabilities accurately describes the laser-driven molecular dynamics.
Status: Physical Review A 75,013422 (2007).