Ultrafast Control of the Internuclear Distance with Parabolic Chirped Pulses

Structure, fragmentation patterns, and magnetic properties of small nickel oxide clusters

We report a comprehensive theoretical study of the structural and electronic properties of neutral and charged nickel oxide clusters, Ni_nO_m^0/± (n = 3–8 and m = 1–10), in the context of recent experiments of photodissociation and Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry.

Towards controlling the dissociation probability by light-induced conical intersections

Light-induced conical intersections (LICIs) can be formed both by standing or by running laser waves. The position of a LICI is determined by the laser frequency while the laser intensity controls the strength of the nonadiabatic coupling. Recently, it was shown within the LICI framework that linearly chirped laser pulses have an impact on the dissociation dynamics of the D₂⁺molecule (J. Chem. Phys.,143, 014305, (2015);J. Chem. Phys.,144, 074309, (2016)). In this work we exploit this finding and perform calculations using chirped laser pulses in which the time dependence of the laser frequency is designed so as to force the LICI to move together with the field-free vibrational wave packet as much as possible. Since nonadiabaticity is strongest in the vicinity of the conical intersection, this is the first step towards controlling the dissociation processviathe LICI. Our showcase example is again the D₂⁺molecular ion. To demonstrate the impact of the LICIs on the dynamical properties of diatomics, the total dissociation probabilities and the population of the different vibrational levels after the dissociation process are studied and discussed.

Strong field laser control of photochemistry

Strong ultrashort laser pulses have opened new avenues for the manipulation of photochemical processes like photoisomerization or photodissociation. The presence of light intense enough to reshape the potential energy surfaces may steer the dynamics of both electrons and nuclei in new directions. A controlled laser pulse, precisely defined in terms of spectrum, time and intensity, is the essential tool in this type of approach to control chemical dynamics at a microscopic level. In this Perspective we examine the current strategies developed to achieve control of chemical processes with strong laser fields, as well as recent experimental advances that demonstrate that properties like the molecular absorption spectrum, the state lifetimes, the quantum yields and the velocity distributions in photodissociation processes can be controlled by the introduction of carefully designed strong laser fields.

Structure, fragmentation patterns, and magnetic properties of small cobalt oxide clusters

Spin isomers of stoichiometric cobalt oxide clusters and planar ring-like to three dimensional cobalt subcluster transition.