TY - JOUR
T1 - Holding and spinning molecules in space
AU - Viftrup, Simon S.
AU - Kumarappan, Vinod
AU - Trippel, Sebastian
AU - Stapelfeldt, Henrik
AU - Hamilton, Edward
AU - Seideman, Tamar
PY - 2007/10/5
Y1 - 2007/10/5
N2 - We illustrate, experimentally and theoretically, a laser-based method to control the rotations of polyatomic molecules in 3D space. A linearly polarized nanosecond pulse strongly aligns the most polarizable axis of an asymmetric top molecule along its polarization axis while an orthogonally polarized, femtosecond pulse sets the molecules into controlled rotation about the aligned axis. As a result, strong three-dimensional (3D) alignment occurs shortly after the femtosecond pulse and is repeated periodically, reflecting coherent revolution about the molecular axis. Our method opens new directions for research in orientationally confined complex molecules.
AB - We illustrate, experimentally and theoretically, a laser-based method to control the rotations of polyatomic molecules in 3D space. A linearly polarized nanosecond pulse strongly aligns the most polarizable axis of an asymmetric top molecule along its polarization axis while an orthogonally polarized, femtosecond pulse sets the molecules into controlled rotation about the aligned axis. As a result, strong three-dimensional (3D) alignment occurs shortly after the femtosecond pulse and is repeated periodically, reflecting coherent revolution about the molecular axis. Our method opens new directions for research in orientationally confined complex molecules.
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U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.143602
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.143602
M3 - Article
C2 - 17930670
AN - SCOPUS:35148867438
SN - 0031-9007
VL - 99
JO - Physical review letters
JF - Physical review letters
IS - 14
M1 - 143602
ER -