Quantum revivals in ultrashort intense field dissociation of molecular ions

Abstract

Ultrashort (< 15 fs) high intensity (1014-1016 W cm-2) laser pulses have provided novel methods for investigation of the dynamics of simple molecular ions such as H+2 and D+2. In this paper we report on simulations carried out for the D+2 molecular ion, within the Born- Oppenheimer and two-state approximations. These simulations allow one to investigate the dissociation dynamics of the D+2 molecular ion when subjected to such ultrashort, intense laser pulses. In particular, these simulations are compared to the results from recent pump-probe experiments, in which, the nuclear vibrational motion of D+2has been imaged. Simulations suggest that the nature of the dissociation process, be it 1- or 2-photon, may be influenced by the tuning of the pump-probe delay time. © 2007 IOP Publishing Ltd.