Manipulating Neutral Atoms and Molecules by Strong Non-Resonant Laser Fields

Alain Aspect

В. В. Климов, Vladilen S Letokhov

Hirofumi Sakai, C. P. Safvan, Jakob Juul Larsen +3 more

Summary form only given. The use of cw lasers to manipulate the external degrees of freedom of atoms is a central subject of atomic physics. Here, we report experimental evidence that a strong, nonresonant, linearly polarized, laser pulse can align a sample of neutral molecules without causing ionization or dissociation.

Vladilen S Letokhov, Vladimir G. Minogin, B. D. Pavlik

Pasi Ryytty, M. Kaivola

Reflection of neutral atoms and molecules by a pulsed standing wave with a duration on the order of nanoseconds is studied. It is shown that, with a suitable choice of the laser parameter values, each period of the standing-wave pattern functions as an independent mirror, thus providing a novel way to manipulate large samples of neutral gas-phase particles even with a single laser pulse. At moderate field intensities, the pulsed standing-wave mirror would be directly applicable, e.g., for the manipulation of buffer-gas cooled molecules.

J. Karzcmareck, P. B. Corkum, Misha Ivanov

Summary form only given. Optical manipulation of atoms is a well-developed and established field. Its successful use of resonant processes is difficult to mimic for molecules due to the complexity of the molecular energy spectra. However, intense non-resonant fields can provide forces similar to or even stronger than the resonant weak fields used in atom optics. These forces, long utilized in the manipulation of microscopic particles, were recently demonstrated for molecules in optical deflection and trapping experiments. We propose to use strong infrared laser field to create an "optical twister" a field that would exert very large optical torques on anisotropic molecules, leading to a controlled molecular rotation induced with a simple pulse. Molecular dissociation via rotations is used to demonstrate our method. The scheme distinguishes molecules with different moments of inertia, and thus acts as an optical centrifuge.