Field-free molecular alignment of asymmetric top molecules using elliptically polarized laser pulses

International audience; We show theoretically that a short specific elliptically polarized laser pulse driving an asymmetric top molecule can induce postpulse revivals of three-dimensional (3-D) alignment. By choosing the field ellipticity resulting in the best compromise between the alignment of two molecular axes, we demonstrate that efficient 3-D alignment can be achieved at low temperature. In the experiment, the field-free alignment of moderately cool ethylene molecules is probed by using a technique based on the optical Kerr effect. Control of 3-D field-free alignment opens the door to a large range of applications in chemistry as well as in molecular optics.

Nonintrusive monitoring and quantitative analysis of strong laser-field-induced impulsive alignment

We report the observation of impulsive alignment of $\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ molecules produced through their interaction with a nonresonant, strong laser pulse. The periodic alignment is monitored using a polarization technique generally employed in optical Kerr effect experiments; the birefringence produced by alignment of the molecular sample is measured with a weak pulse, time-delayed with respect to the alignment pulse. The technique provides a signal proportional to $⟨{\mathrm{cos}}^{2}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\theta}⟩\ensuremath{-}\frac{1}{3}$, where $\ensuremath{\theta}$ is the polar angle between the molecular axis and the strong-field polarization axis. Experimen…

Field-free one-dimensional alignment of ethylene molecule

International audience; We report an experimental study of non-adiabatic laser-induced molecular alignment of ethylene (C2H4) using a linearly polarized short laser pulse of moderate intensity. The information about the confinement of the C=C bond axis along the direction of the applied electric field is obtained by measuring the depolarization of a second short pulse of weak intensity interacting with the molecules after they have been exposed to the first pulse. The experimental data are compared with the numerical simulation of the Schr¨odinger equation written for the non-resonant interaction of an asymmetric top rigid rotor with a linearly polarized electric field. The field-free align…

L'alignement moléculaire comme une méthode de calibration pour la détermination de probabilité d'ionisation

Par le biais d'une methode originale, nous avons determine experimentalement la probabilite d'ionisation de l'azote (N 2 ) soumis a un champ laser non resonnant et ultracourt (100 fs). La technique de defocalisation croisee mis en oeuvre dans ce travail est sensible a l'alignement moleculaire post-impulsion et a l'ionisation. L'analyse du signal experimental permet d'extraire une probabilite d'ionisation calibree par une mesure d'alignement.

Strong-field molecular ionization: determination of ionization probabilities calibrated with field-free alignment

International audience; We report an original optical method providing the probability of molecular ionization induced by femtosecond laser pulses. The approach consists of exploiting molecular alignment in order to extract reliable information about ionization. The cross defocusing technique implemented for this purpose reveals a sensitivity with respect to post-pulse alignment, as well as to free electron density induced by the ultra-short laser pulse. The analysis of the resulting signal gives thus access to absolute single-ionization probabilities calibrated through the degree of alignment provided that free electrons are mainly produced from single-ionization. The relevance of the meth…

D2hTDS-ST Software for Stark Spectrum Simulation of X2Y4 Asymmetric-Top Molecules

Abstract We present the D 2 h TDS-ST ( D 2 h -Top Data System for Stark effect) program suite with the aim to simulate Stark spectra of any IR active rovibrational polyad of X 2 Y 4 ( D 2 h ) asymmetric-top molecules. D 2 h TDS-ST consists in a series of FORTRAN programs called by scripts. For calculation of Stark spectra, we obtained the expressions of the dipole moment and polarizability operators of X 2 Y 4 molecules using a tensorial formalism. For convenience, we integrated the D 2 h TDS-ST programs into the D 2 h TDS package. The D 2 h TDS suite (including the D 2 h TDS-ST programs) is freely available at the URL: http://icb.u-bourgogne.fr/OMR/SMA/SHTDS/D2HTDS.html .

Attosecond control of dissociative ionization of O2molecules

We demonstrate that dissociative ionization of O(2) can be controlled by the relative delay between an attosecond pulse train (APT) and a copropagating infrared (IR) field. Our experiments reveal a dependence of both the branching ratios between a range of electronic states and the fragment angular distributions on the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) to IR time delay. The observations go beyond adiabatic propagation of dissociative wave packets on IR-induced quasistatic potential energy curves and are understood in terms of an IR-induced coupling between electronic states in the molecular ion.

Laser spatial profile effects in measurements of impulsive molecular alignment

0953-4075; We use a non-intrusive technique based on a polarization scheme to probe the periodic alignment of the CO2 and N2 molecules induced by a strong laser pulse linearly polarized. A weak probe field experiences the birefringence resulting from the alignment of the molecules. By comparing the probe depolarization signal with the numerical simulation of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, it is possible to quantify the alignment of the molecular sample. The modelling takes into account the spatial profile of the pump intensity. It allows from the alignment signal to determine the onset of saturation due to ionization, despite the intrinsic saturation of the alignment arising for a…

Femtosecond Raman Spectroscopy of C2H4 and CH4 molecules

Optical gratings induced by field-free alignment of molecules

We analyze the alignment of molecules generated by a pair of crossed ultra-short pump pulses of different polarizations by a technique based on the induced time-dependent gratings. Parallel polarizations yield an intensity grating, while perpendicular polarizations induce a polarization grating. We show that both configurations can be interpreted at moderate intensity as an alignment induced by a single polarized pump pulse. The advantage of the perpendicular polarizations is to give a signal of alignment that is free from the plasma contribution. Experiments on femtosecond transient gratings with aligned molecules were performed in CO2 at room temperature in a static cell and at 30 K in a …

Optimization of field-free molecular alignment by phase-shaped laser pulses

We theoretically demonstrate the optimization of field-free molecular alignment by phase-shaped femtosecond laser pulses. The effect is assessed in ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ at $T=60\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$ under realistic conditions of intensity and pulse shaping. The spectral laser phase is sampled through 128 control parameters and a self-learning evolutionary algorithm combined with a nonperturbative regime calculation is used in order to design the specific phase that maximizes the degree of alignment. The postpulse molecular alignment appears significantly enhanced compared to a Fourier-transform-limited pulse of same energy. The analysis of the target state reveals that the so…

Ultimate field-free molecular alignment by combined adiabatic-impulsive field design

We show that a laser pulse designed as an adiabatic ramp followed by a kick allows one to reach a perfect postpulse molecular alignment, free of saturation. The mechanism is based on an optimized distribution of the energy between a weakly efficient but non saturating adiabatic ramp and an efficient but saturating impulsive field. Unprecedent degrees of alignment are predicted using state-of-the-art pulse shaping techniques and non-destructive field intensities. The scheme can be extended to reach high degrees of orientation of polar molecules using designed half-cycle pulses.

Suppression of plasma contribution in femtosecond degenerate four-wave mixing (fs-DFWM) at high intensity

Femtosecond degenerate four-wave mixing (fs-DFWM) experiments in CO2 exhibit a strong background due to plasma produced at high intensity (≥20 TW/cm2), when significant molecular alignment is likely to arise. This perturbing phenomenon renders the measurements of alignment very difficult. It is shown that the plasma contribution can be avoided by employing perpendicular polarizations for the two pump pulses. The effect is explained on the basis of the different diffraction angles between signals produced by molecular alignment and plasma. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rotational Raman spectroscopy of ethylene using a femtosecond time-resolved pump-probe technique.

154309; Femtosecond Raman-induced polarization spectroscopy (RIPS) was conducted at low pressure (250 mb at 295 K and 400 mb at 373 K) in ethylene. The temporal signal, resulting from the beating between pure rotational coherences, was measured with a heterodyne detection. The temporal traces were converted to the frequency domain using a Fourier transformation and then analyzed thanks to the D2hTDS software (http://www.u-bourgogne.fr/LPUB/shTDS.html) dedicated to X2Y4 molecules with D2h symmetry. The effective Hamiltonian was expanded up to order 2, allowing the determination of five parameters with an rms of 0.017 cm(-1). Special care was taken in the precise modeling of intensities, taki…