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Le Journal de Physique Colloques

COLLISIONS IN THE PRESENCE OF A LASER FIELD AND THE LASER AS A TOOL FOR STATE SELECTIVE PREPARATION OF MOLECULAR STATES IN COLLISIONS

Ingolf Volker Hertel

Published Jan 1, 1985• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

In the study of individual collision events laser light can be used to influence or probe the process prior to, during, or after the binary particle interaction. We discuss some problems and particularly challenging possibilities for modifying the collision process in a high, but not too high, laser field. We discuss the possibilities of state selective preparation of quasimolecular Σ and Π states in ion-atom collisions, with asymptotically laser optical pumped atomic p-states.

DOI
10.1051/jphyscol:1985104

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In the study of individual collision events laser light can be used to influence or probe the process prior to, during, or after the binary particle interaction. We discuss some problems and particularly challenging possibilities for modifying the collision process in a high, but not too high, laser field. We discuss the possibilities of state selective preparation of quasimolecular Σ and Π states in ion-atom collisions, with asymptotically laser optical pumped atomic p-states.
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Merging two subfields, collisions and spectroscopy, this book presents the latest research proposals, innovative experiments and fresh ideas. Topics considered include radiative collision induced electron continuum-continuum scattering; models of laser-induced chemical reactions; experimental studies of laser-induced ionizing collisions; laser photodissociation of Na/sub 2/ + ions produced by laser resonant ionization of Na vapor; steady-state electron-atom collision in a laser field; conditions for the observation of the predicted splitting of the laser assisted electron impact of the differential cross section of atoms; transitions between resonances; some proposals for experiments; above-threshold multiphoton ionization; observability of optical collisions in the frequency and the time domain; laser switched collisions - a diagrammatical approach; polarization of atomic fluorescence excited by molecular photodissociation; multiphoton selective excitation; on the role of chaotic dynamics with many basins of attraction; predissociation in a strong electromagnetic field; theory of double resonance; and coherent excitation of polyatomic molecules up to highly excited vibrational states by laser light.
It is shown theoretically and confirmed by experiments that very efficient and highly selective population transfer between atomic or molecular levels can be achieved by stimulated Raman scattering with partially overlapping pulses. It is a particular interesting feature of this method, called STIRAP, that the particles must interact first with the Stokes laser and then with the pump laser, provided there is a sufficient overlap between the interaction with the two lasers. The striking similarity of this transfer process with phenomena well known in atom‐atom collisions is emphasized.
The results of double-laser experiments in which Na2+{\mathrm{Na}}_{2}^{+}Na2+​ and Na+{\mathrm{Na}}^{+}Na+ are produced in crossed alkali beams under single-collision conditions in the presence of strong optical fields are reported. Structure in the mass-selected product ion intensity as a function laser frequency is observed when the optical field is strongly focused and tuned far off atomic or dimer transitions. These measurements are the first to show that the nuclear motion of the quasimolecular collision intermediate plays an important role in laser-induced collisional ionization.
Collisions studies using optically state selected beams is discussed. Measurements of spin resolved differential cross sections for superelastic scattering of electrons from excited sodium atoms (3P) are reported. The excited states are prepared by laser optical pumping with circularly polarized light thus giving a pure atomic state before the collision. A crossed beam arrangement of sodium atoms and electrons is used with a scattered electron detector. Scattered electron intensity as a function of scattering angle, incident electron energy, and relative orientation of the incident electronic and atomic spins is measured. 8 refs., 10 figs.
Intense laser-matter interactions are at the center of interest in research and technology since the development of high-power lasers.They have been widely used for fundamental studies in atomic, molecular, and optical physics, and they are at the core of attosecond physics and ultrafast optoelectronics.Although the majority of these studies have been successfully described using classical electromagnetic fields, recent investigations based on fully quantized approaches have shown that intense laser-atom interactions can be used for the generation of controllable high-photon-number entangled coherent states and coherent state superpositions.In this tutorial, we provide a comprehensive fully quantized description of intense laseratom interactions.We elaborate on the processes of high-harmonic generation, above-threshold ionization, and we discuss new phenomena that cannot be revealed within the context of semiclassical theories.We provide the description for conditioning the light field on different electronic processes, and their consequences for quantum state engineering of light.Finally, we discuss the extension of the approach to more complex materials, and the impact to quantum technologies for a new photonic platform composed of the symbiosis of attosecond physics and quantum information science.