Probing the Dynamics of a Molecular Ion with Laser Pulses

The dynamics of a H2+ molecular ion driven by two laser pulses separated by a time lag is studied beyond the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. The first, short, pulse prepares the molecule in some quantum state, which is probed by the second pulse. Under suitable conditions, the molecule emits a spectrum of redshifted high-order harmonics. The value of the redshift is proportional to the harmonic order and can be used as a measure of the speed of the atoms of the molecule.

Simulazione numerica di una molecola H2 in campi laser intensi

Monitoring molecular dynamics with high-order harmonic generation