Making the Best of Mixed-Field Orientation of Polar Molecules: A Recipe for Achieving Adiabatic Dynamics in an Electrostatic Field Combined with Laser Pulses

Jens H. Nielsen, Henrik Stapelfeldt, Jochen Küpper, Bretislav Friedrich, Juan J. Omiste, and Rosario González-Férez

Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 193001 – Published 7 May 2012

Abstract

We have experimentally and theoretically investigated the mixed-field orientation of rotational-state-selected OCS molecules and achieved strong degrees of alignment and orientation. The applied moderately intense nanosecond laser pulses are long enough to adiabatically align molecules. However, in combination with a weak dc electric field, the same laser pulses result in nonadiabatic dynamics of the mixed-field orientation. These observations are fully explained by calculations employing both adiabatic and nonadiabatic (time-dependent) models.

Received 20 January 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.193001

Authors & Affiliations

Jens H. Nielsen¹, Henrik Stapelfeldt^2,3,*, Jochen Küpper^4,5,6,†, Bretislav Friedrich⁶, Juan J. Omiste⁷, and Rosario González-Férez^7,‡

¹Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
²Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
³Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
⁴Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, DESY, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
⁵Department of Physics, University of Hamburg, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
⁶Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, 14195 Berlin, Germany
⁷Instituto Carlos I de Física Teórica y Computacional and Departamento de Física Atómica, Molecular y Nuclear, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain

^*Corresponding author. henriks@chem.au.dk
^†Corresponding author. jochen.kuepper@cfel.de
^‡Corresponding author. rogonzal@ugr.es

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Issue

Vol. 108, Iss. 19 — 11 May 2012

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