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Updated: May 17, 2026

An Experimental Protocol for Femtosecond NIR/UV - XUV Pump-Probe Experiments with Free-Electron Lasers
Published on: October 23, 2018
Electron transfer in a virtual quantum state of LiBH4 induced by strong optical fields and mapped by femtosecond
J Stingl1, F Zamponi, B Freyer
1Max-Born-Institut für Nichtlineare Optik und Kurzzeitspektroskopie, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
Transient polarizations connected with a spatial redistribution of electronic charge in a mixed quantum state are induced by optical fields of high amplitude. We determine for the first time the related transient electron density maps, applying femtosecond x-ray powder diffraction as a structure probe. The prototype ionic material LiBH4 driven nonresonantly by an intense sub-40 fs optical pulse displays a large-amplitude fully reversible electron transfer from the BH4(-) anion to the Li+ cation during excitation. Our results establish this mechanism as the source of the strong optical polarization which agrees quantitatively with theoretical estimates.
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