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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Direct Imaging of Laser-driven Ultrafast Molecular Rotation
Published on: February 4, 2017
Directional emission of multiply charged ions during dissociative ionization in asymmetric two-color laser fields
K J Betsch1, D W Pinkham, R R Jones
1Department of Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4714, USA.
Abstract:
Intense, asymmetric 1ω+2ω laser fields are used to affect the directional ejection of multiply charged ion fragments from a variety of molecules, including N2, O2, CO, HBr, and CO2. By tuning the relative phase, ϕ, between the two fields, we observe large forward-backward dissociation asymmetries. The largest asymmetries are obtained at the same values of ϕ for all species, suggesting a common dynamical mechanism. Following an independent phase calibration, the sign of the asymmetry appears to be opposite that expected from the standard enhanced ionization model.
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