Using the carrier-envelope phase to control strong-field dissociation of HeH+ at midinfrared wavelengths

Abstract

We study the response of HeH+ to an intense, few-cycle laser pulse. Specifically, we present the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) dependence of the kinetic-energy-release spectrum, the spatial asymmetry, and the total dissociation probability in two-cycle pulses with an intensity of 1014W/cm2 and wavelengths of 3200 and 4000 nm. Strong spatial asymmetries are found in spite of the fact that the electron always becomes localized as He+H+, demonstrating that control of such asymmetries can be obtained via control of the nuclear degrees of freedom - as opposed to its usual interpretation as control over the electronic degrees of freedom. We explain these CEP effects in terms of our photon-phase representation.