Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 14, 2025

Measurement of Ultrafast Vibrational Coherences in Polyatomic Radical Cations with Strong-Field Adiabatic Ionization
Published on: August 6, 2018
Effect of the finite speed of light in ionization of extended molecular systems
I A Ivanov1, Anatoli S Kheifets2, Kyung Taec Kim3,4
1Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju, 61005, Korea. igorivanov@ibs.re.kr.
Abstract:
We study propagation effects due to the finite speed of light in ionization of extended molecular systems. We present a general quantitative theory of these effects and show under which conditions such effects should appear. The finite speed of light propagation effects are encoded in the non-dipole terms of the time-dependent Shrödinger equation and display themselves in the photoelectron momentum distribution projected on the molecular axis. Our numerical modeling for the [Formula: see text] molecular ion and the [Formula: see text] dimer shows that the finite light propagation time from one atomic center to another can be accurately determined in a table top laser experiment which is much more readily accessible than the ground breaking synchrotron measurement by Grundmann et al. (Science 370:339, 2020).
Related Concept Videos
IR Spectroscopy: Hooke's Law Approximation of Molecular Vibration
According to Hooke's law, the vibrational frequency is directly proportional to...
Distribution of Molecular Speeds
Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution: Problem Solving
This distribution function f(v) is defined by saying that the expected number N (v1,v2) of particles with speeds between v1 and v2 is given by
Variables Affecting Phosphorescence and Fluorescence
Atomic Spectroscopy: Effects of Temperature
At thermal equilibrium, the relative populations of excited and ground state atoms can be estimated using the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. For example, an increase in temperature...
Chemical Ionization (CI) Mass Spectrometry

