Coherent control of the photodissociation of triiodide in solution reveals new pathways

Abstract

We perform closed- and open-loop coherent control experiments of the photodissociation of triiodide (I 3 -) in ethanol using shaped UV pulses. In the regime where the relative diiodide (I 2 -) yield is excitation-independent, we observe a symmetrical second-order chirp dependence of the I 2 - yield, and that the I 2 - production can be controlled within 40% by varying the second-order chirp of the pump pulse. We show that additional pathways involving higher-lying potential energy surfaces are viable means to explain such observations.