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Lu C, Xu L, Zhou L, Shi M, Lu P, Li W, Dörner R, Lin K, Wu J. Intermolecular interactions probed by rotational dynamics in gas-phase clusters. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4360. [PMID: 38777851 PMCID: PMC11111446 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48822-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The rotational dynamics of a molecule is sensitive to neighboring atoms or molecules, which can be used to probe the intermolecular interactions in the gas phase. Here, we real-time track the laser-driven rotational dynamics of a single N2 molecule affected by neighboring Ar atoms using coincident Coulomb explosion imaging. We find that the alignment trace of N-N axis decays fast and only persists for a few picoseconds when an Ar atom is nearby. We show that the decay rate depends on the rotational geometry of whether the Ar atom stays in or out of the rotational plane of the N2 molecule. Additionally, the vibration of the van der Waals bond is found to be excited through coupling with the rotational N-N axis. The observations are well reproduced by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation after taking the interaction potential between the N2 and Ar into consideration. Our results demonstrate that environmental effects on a molecular level can be probed by directly visualizing the rotational dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenxu Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Long Xu
- Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Lianrong Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Menghang Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Peifen Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenxue Li
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Reinhard Dörner
- Institut für Kernphysik, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Kang Lin
- School of Physics, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-Nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Jian Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Precision Optics, Chongqing Institute of East China Normal University, Chongqing, China.
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China.
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2
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Lian Z, Luo S, Qi H, Chen Z, Shu CC, Hu Z. Visualizing ultrafast weak-field-induced rotational revivals of air molecules at room temperature. OPTICS LETTERS 2023; 48:411-414. [PMID: 36638470 DOI: 10.1364/ol.480833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The ability to observe quantum coherence and interference is crucial for understanding quantum effects in nonlinear optical spectroscopy and is of fundamental interest in quantum mechanics. Here, we present an experimental study combined with theoretical analysis and numerical simulations to identify the underlying process behind the rotational revivals induced by a pair of time-delayed ultrafast femtosecond laser pulses for air molecules under ambient conditions. Our time-resolved two-dimensional alignment measurements confirm that one-step non-resonant Raman transitions from initial states of mixed molecules play a dominant role, showing a signature of weak-field-induced rotational revivals. Furthermore, we demonstrate that such rotational revival spectra can simultaneously measure the entire pure rotational Raman spectra and observe the quantum interference between two transition pathways from a given initial state. This work provides a powerful tool to observe, control, and identify the rotational dynamics of mixed molecular samples under weak-field excitations.
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3
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Real-time hydrogen molecular dynamics satisfying the nuclear spin statistics of a quantum rotor. Commun Chem 2022; 5:168. [PMID: 36697851 PMCID: PMC9814564 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-022-00788-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Apparent presence of the nuclear-spin species of a hydrogen molecule, para-hydrogen and ortho-hydrogen, associated with the quantum rotation is a manifestation of the nuclear quantum nature of hydrogen, governing not only molecular structures but also physical and chemical properties of hydrogen molecules. It has been a great challenge to observe and calculate real-time dynamics of such molecularized fermions. Here, we developed the non-empirical quantum molecular dynamics method that enables real-time molecular dynamics simulations of hydrogen molecules satisfying the nuclear spin statistics of the quantum rotor. While reproducing the species-dependent quantum rotational energy, population ratio, specific heat, and H-H bond length and frequency, we found that their translational, orientational and vibrational dynamics becomes accelerated with the higher rotational excitation, concluding that the nuclear quantum rotation stemmed from the nuclear spin statistics can induce various kinds of dynamics and reactions intrinsic to each hydrogen species.
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4
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Rotational wave-packet imaging spectroscopy of the ethylene dimer. Chem Phys Lett 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cplett.2022.139850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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5
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Mizuse K, Sato U, Tobata Y, Ohshima Y. Rotational spectroscopy of the argon dimer by time-resolved Coulomb explosion imaging of rotational wave packets. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:11014-11022. [PMID: 35470358 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01113a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We report time-domain rotational spectroscopy of the argon dimer, Ar2, by implementing time-resolved Coulomb explosion imaging of rotational wave packets. The rotational wave packets are created in Ar2 with a linearly polarized, nonresonant, ultrashort laser pulse, and their spatiotemporal evolution is fully characterized by measuring angular distribution of the fragmented Ar+ promptly ejected from Ar22+ generated by the more intense probe pulse. The pump-probe measurements have been carried out up to a delay time of 16 ns. The alignment parameters, derived from the observed images, exhibit periodic oscillation lasting for more than 15 ns. The pure rotational spectrum of Ar2 is obtained by Fourier transformation of the time traces of the alignment parameters. The frequency resolution in the spectrum is about 90 MHz, the highest ever achieved for Ar2. The rotational constant and the centrifugal distortion constant are determined with much improved precision than the previous experimental results: B0 = 1.72713 ± 0.00009 GHz and D0 = 0.0310 ± 0.0005 MHz. The present B0 value does not match within the quoted experimental uncertainty with that from the VUV spectroscopy, so far accepted as an experimental reference to assess theories. The present improved constants would stand as new references to calibrate state-of-the-art theoretical investigations and an indispensable experimental source for the construction of an accurate empirical intermolecular potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Mizuse
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-W4-9 Ookayama, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan. .,Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitazato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0373, Japan.
| | - Urara Sato
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitazato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0373, Japan.
| | - Yuya Tobata
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-W4-9 Ookayama, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan.
| | - Yasuhiro Ohshima
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-W4-9 Ookayama, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan.
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6
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Fukahori S, Iwasaki A, Yamanouchi K, Hasegawa H. Single and sequential double ionization of NO radical in intense laser fields. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:094307. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0077239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
We examine the dependences of the single and double ionization probabilities of NO radical on the angle between the NO axis and the laser polarization direction in an intense laser field (790 nm, 100 fs, 1–10 × 1014 W/cm2) and show that the double ionization is enhanced when the NO axis is parallel to the laser polarization direction. We reveal that the angular dependence of the sequential double ionization probability is determined by the shape of the 5σ orbital of NO+ from which the second photoelectron is emitted in the ionization from NO+ to NO2+. We also reveal that the fast oscillation in the probability of the tunnel ionization of NO originating from a coherent superposition of the two spin–orbit components in the electronic ground X2Π state is described well based on the molecular Ammosov-Delone-Krainov (MO-ADK) theory in which the time evolution of the electron density distribution of the 2π orbital is taken into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinichi Fukahori
- Department of Integrated Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
- Komaba Institute for Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Atsushi Iwasaki
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Kaoru Yamanouchi
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Hasegawa
- Department of Integrated Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
- Komaba Institute for Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
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7
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Nakamura K, Fukahori S, Hasegawa H. Rotational dynamics and transitions between Λ-type doubling of NO induced by an intense two-color laser field. J Chem Phys 2021; 155:174308. [PMID: 34742217 DOI: 10.1063/5.0071516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We numerically investigate the rotational dynamics of NO in the electronic ground X2Π state induced by an intense two-color laser field (10 TW/cm2) as a function of pulse duration (0.3-25 ps). In the short pulse duration of less than 12 ps, rotational Raman excitation is effectively induced and results in molecular orientation. On the contrary, when the pulse duration is longer than 15 ps, the rotational excitation is suppressed. In addition to the rotational excitation, we find that transitions between Λ-type doubling are induced. Significantly, the maximum coherent wave packet between Λ-type doubling in J = 0.5 is generated using the pulse duration of 19.8 ps. The wave packet changes to the eigenstates of Λ = +1 or -1 alternatively, where Λ is the projection of the electronic orbital angular momentum on the N-O axis, which is regarded as the unidirectional rotation of an unpaired 2π electron around the N-O axis in a space-fixed frame as well as in a molecule-fixed frame. The experimental method to observe the alternation of the rotational direction of the electron around the N-O axis is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Nakamura
- Department of Integrated Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Shinichi Fukahori
- Department of Integrated Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Hasegawa
- Department of Integrated Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
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8
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Carrasco S, Rogan J, Valdivia JA, Sola IR. Anti-alignment driven dynamics in the excited states of molecules under strong fields. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:1936-1942. [PMID: 33459314 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp05692h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We develop two novel models of the H2+ molecule and its isotopes from which we assess quantum-mechanically and semi-classically whether the molecule anti-aligns with the field in the first excited electronic state. The results from both models allow us to predict anti-alignment dynamics even for the HD+ isotope, which possesses a permanent dipole moment. The molecule dissociates at angles perpendicular to the field polarization in both the excited and the ground electronic state, as the population is exchanged through a conical intersection. The quantum mechanical dispersion of the initial state is sufficient to cause full dissociation. We conclude that the stabilization of these molecules in the excited state through bond-hardening under a strong field is highly unlikely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián Carrasco
- Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 653, 7800024, Santiago, Chile.
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9
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Mizuse K, Sakamoto N, Fujimoto R, Ohshima Y. Direct imaging of direction-controlled molecular rotational wave packets created by a polarization-skewed double-pulse. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:10853-10862. [PMID: 32373841 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp01084g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
High-precision, time-resolved Coulomb explosion imaging of rotational wave packets in nitrogen molecules created with a pair of time-delayed, polarization-skewed femtosecond laser pulses is presented, providing insight into the creation process and dynamics of direction-controlled wave packets. To initiate unidirectional rotation, the interval of the double-pulse was set so that the second, polarization-tilted pulse hit the molecules at the time when molecules were aligned or antialigned along the polarization vector of the first pulse. During the revival period of the rotational wave packet, pulse intervals around both the full and half revival times were used. The observed molecular wave packet movies clearly show the signatures of quantum rotation, such as angular localization (alignment), dispersion, and revival phenomena, during the unidirectional motion. The patterns are quite different depending on the pulse interval even when the angular distribution at the second pulse irradiation is similar. The observed interval-dependence of the dynamics was analyzed on the basis of the real-time images, with the aid of numerical simulations, and the creation process of the packets was discussed. We show that the observed image patterns can be essentially rationalized in terms of rotational period and alignment parameter. Because the double-pulse scheme is the most fundamental in the creation of direction-controlled rotational wave packets, this study will lead to more sophisticated control and characterization of directional molecular motions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Mizuse
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-W4-9 Ookayama, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan.
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10
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Lin K, Hu X, Pan S, Chen F, Ji Q, Zhang W, Li H, Qiang J, Sun F, Gong X, Li H, Lu P, Wang J, Wu Y, Wu J. Femtosecond Resolving Photodissociation Dynamics of the SO 2 Molecule. J Phys Chem Lett 2020; 11:3129-3135. [PMID: 32233496 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c00599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We experimentally investigate the ultrafast photodissociation dynamics of the SO2 molecule induced by intense ultrashort laser pulses in a pump-probe scheme. Different three-body fragmentation pathways are discriminated using the time-dependent kinetic energy release spectrum with femtosecond time resolution. A nontrivial three-body fragmentation pathway, denoted as the bonding pathway, is unraveled, in which an intermediate fast rotating O2 molecule is formed before complete fragmentation. The ultrafast chemical bond rearrangement after electron release is tracked in real time. The bonding pathway generally exists in the three-body fragmentation processes induced by strong laser fields of different wavelengths, which is observed in infrared, ultraviolet, and mixed two-color cases. Our findings are significant for understanding the photon-induced ultrafast processes of the SO2 molecule in atmospheric chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Xiaoqing Hu
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100088, China
| | - Shengzhe Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Fei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Qinying Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Wenbin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Hanxiao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Junjie Qiang
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Fenghao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Xiaochun Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Hui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Peifen Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Jianguo Wang
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100088, China
| | - Yong Wu
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100088, China
- HEDPS, Center for Applied Physics and Technology, Peking University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jian Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
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11
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Mizuse K, Fujimoto R, Ohshima Y. Acceleration and Deceleration of Unidirectional Molecular Rotation by a Femtosecond Laser Pulse. CHEM LETT 2019. [DOI: 10.1246/cl.190614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Mizuse
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Romu Fujimoto
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Ohshima
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
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12
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Karamatskos ET, Raabe S, Mullins T, Trabattoni A, Stammer P, Goldsztejn G, Johansen RR, Długołecki K, Stapelfeldt H, Vrakking MJJ, Trippel S, Rouzée A, Küpper J. Molecular movie of ultrafast coherent rotational dynamics of OCS. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3364. [PMID: 31358749 PMCID: PMC6662765 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11122-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Recording molecular movies on ultrafast timescales has been a longstanding goal for unravelling detailed information about molecular dynamics. Here we present the direct experimental recording of very-high-resolution and -fidelity molecular movies over more than one-and-a-half periods of the laser-induced rotational dynamics of carbonylsulfide (OCS) molecules. Utilising the combination of single quantum-state selection and an optimised two-pulse sequence to create a tailored rotational wavepacket, an unprecedented degree of field-free alignment, 〈cos2θ2D〉 = 0.96 (〈cos2θ〉 = 0.94) is achieved, exceeding the theoretical limit for single-pulse alignment. The very rich experimentally observed quantum dynamics is fully recovered by the angular probability distribution obtained from solutions of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation with parameters refined against the experiment. The populations and phases of rotational states in the retrieved time-dependent three-dimensional wavepacket rationalises the observed very high degree of alignment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evangelos T Karamatskos
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Raabe
- Max Born Institute, Max-Born-Straße 2a, 12489, Berlin, Germany
| | - Terry Mullins
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andrea Trabattoni
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Philipp Stammer
- Max Born Institute, Max-Born-Straße 2a, 12489, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Rasmus R Johansen
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Karol Długołecki
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Henrik Stapelfeldt
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | | | - Sebastian Trippel
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Arnaud Rouzée
- Max Born Institute, Max-Born-Straße 2a, 12489, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Jochen Küpper
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany.
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany.
- The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany.
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Milner AA, Fordyce JAM, MacPhail-Bartley I, Wasserman W, Milner V, Tutunnikov I, Averbukh IS. Controlled Enantioselective Orientation of Chiral Molecules with an Optical Centrifuge. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 122:223201. [PMID: 31283279 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.122.223201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We report on the first experimental demonstration of enantioselective rotational control of chiral molecules with a laser field. In our experiments, two enantiomers of propylene oxide are brought to accelerated unidirectional rotation by means of an optical centrifuge. Using Coulomb explosion imaging, we show that the centrifuged molecules acquire preferential orientation perpendicular to the plane of rotation, and that the direction of this orientation depends on the relative handedness of the enantiomer and the rotating centrifuge field. The observed effect is in agreement with theoretical predictions and is reproduced in numerical simulations of the centrifuge excitation followed by Coulomb explosion of the centrifuged molecules. The demonstrated technique opens new avenues in optical enantioselective control of chiral molecules with a plethora of potential applications in differentiation, separation, and purification of chiral mixtures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander A Milner
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, The University of British Columbia, V6T-1Z1 Vancouver, Canada
| | - Jordan A M Fordyce
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, The University of British Columbia, V6T-1Z1 Vancouver, Canada
| | - Ian MacPhail-Bartley
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, The University of British Columbia, V6T-1Z1 Vancouver, Canada
| | - Walter Wasserman
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, The University of British Columbia, V6T-1Z1 Vancouver, Canada
| | - Valery Milner
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, The University of British Columbia, V6T-1Z1 Vancouver, Canada
| | - Ilia Tutunnikov
- AMOS and Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, The Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ilya Sh Averbukh
- AMOS and Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, The Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot, Israel
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14
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Prost E, Hertz E, Billard F, Lavorel B, Faucher O. Polarization-based tachometer for measuring spinning rotors. OPTICS EXPRESS 2018; 26:31839-31849. [PMID: 30650763 DOI: 10.1364/oe.26.031839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We report on the polarization analysis of shortpulse ultraviolet radiation produced by third-harmonic generation in a gas of coherently spinning molecules. A pulse of twisted linear polarization imprints a unidirectional rotational motion to the molecules leading to an orientation of their rotational angular momenta. A second pulse, time-delayed with respect to the first one, circularly polarized in the plane of rotation of the molecules, acts as a driving field for third-harmonic generation. The angular momentum and energy conservation applied to this process foresees the generation of two Doppler-shifted circularly-polarized harmonics of opposite handedness. Our analysis reveals that spinning molecules enable the generation of a well polarized third-harmonic radiation exhibiting a high degree of ellipticity. Tracking the orientation of the latter allows a time-capture of the molecular axis direction from which the average angular velocity of the rotating molecules is inferred. This method provides a user-friendly polarization-based tachometer for measurement of the rotational speed of spinning nonlinear rotors.
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15
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He L, Lan P, Le AT, Wang B, Wang B, Zhu X, Lu P, Lin CD. Real-Time Observation of Molecular Spinning with Angular High-Harmonic Spectroscopy. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2018; 121:163201. [PMID: 30387638 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.121.163201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate an angular high-harmonic spectroscopy method to probe the spinning dynamics of a molecular rotation wave packet in real time. With the excitation of two time-delayed, polarization-skewed pump pulses, the molecular ensemble is impulsively kicked to rotate unidirectionally, which is subsequently irradiated by another delayed probe pulse for high-order harmonic generation (HHG). The spatiotemporal evolution of the molecular rotation wave packet is visualized from the time-dependent angular distributions of the HHG yields and frequency shift measured at various polarization directions and time delays of the probe pulse. The observed frequency shift in HHG is demonstrated to arise from the nonadiabatic effect induced by molecular spinning. Different from the previous spectroscopic and Coulomb explosion imaging techniques, the angular high-harmonic spectroscopy method can reveal additionally the electronic structure and multiple orbitals of the sampled molecule. All the experimental findings are well reproduced by numerical simulations. Further extension of this method would provide a powerful tool for probing complex polyatomic molecules with HHG spectroscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixin He
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics and School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Pengfei Lan
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics and School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Anh-Thu Le
- Department of Physics, Cardwell Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA
| | - Baoning Wang
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics and School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Bincheng Wang
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics and School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Xiaosong Zhu
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics and School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Peixiang Lu
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics and School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
- Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China
| | - C D Lin
- Department of Physics, Cardwell Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA
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16
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Tutunnikov I, Gershnabel E, Gold S, Averbukh IS. Selective Orientation of Chiral Molecules by Laser Fields with Twisted Polarization. J Phys Chem Lett 2018; 9:1105-1111. [PMID: 29417812 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b03416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We explore a pure optical method for enantioselective orientation of chiral molecules by means of laser fields with twisted polarization. Several field implementations are considered, including a pair of delayed, cross-polarized laser pulses, an optical centrifuge, and polarization-shaped pulses. We show that these schemes lead to out-of-phase time-dependent dipole signals for different enantiomers, and we also predict a substantial permanent molecular orientation persisting long after the laser fields are over. The underlying classical orientation mechanism common to all of these fields is discussed, and its operation is demonstrated for a range of chiral molecules of various complexity: hydrogen thioperoxide (HSOH), propylene oxide (CH3CHCH2O), and ethyl oxirane (CH3CH2CHCH2O). The presented results demonstrate generality, versatility, and robustness of this optical method for manipulating molecular enantiomers in the gas phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilia Tutunnikov
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Erez Gershnabel
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Shachar Gold
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Ilya Sh Averbukh
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot 7610001, Israel
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17
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Mizuse K, Chizuwa N, Ikeda D, Imajo T, Ohshima Y. Visualizing rotational wave functions of electronically excited nitric oxide molecules by using an ion imaging technique. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 20:3303-3309. [PMID: 29164200 DOI: 10.1039/c7cp06347d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Here we report the dissociative ionization imaging of electronically excited nitric oxide (NO) molecules to visualize rotational wave functions in the electronic excited state (A 2Σ+). The NO molecules were excited to a single rotational energy eigenstate in the first electronic excited state by a resonant nanosecond ultraviolet pulse. The molecules were then irradiated by a strong, circularly polarized femtosecond imaging pulse. Spatial distribution of the ejected N+ and O+ fragment ions from the dissociative NO2+ was recorded as a direct measure of the molecular axis distribution using a high-resolution slice ion imaging apparatus. The circularly polarized probe pulse realizes the isotropic ionization and thus undistorted shapes of the functions can be visualized. Due to the higher ionization efficiency of the excited molecules relative to the ground state ones, signals from the excited NO were enhanced. We can, therefore, extract shapes of the square of rotational wave functions in the electronic excited state although the unexcited ground state molecules are the majority in an ensemble. The observed images show s-function-like and p-function-like shapes depending on the excitation wavelengths. These shapes well reflect the rotational (angular momentum) character of the prepared states. The present approach directly leads to the evaluation method of the molecular axis alignment in photo-excited ensembles, and it could also lead to a visualization method for excited state molecular dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Mizuse
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-W4-9 Ookayama, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan.
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18
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Lin K, Ma J, Gong X, Song Q, Ji Q, Zhang W, Li H, Lu P, Li H, Zeng H, Wu J, Hartmann JM, Faucher O, Gershnabel E, Prior Y, Averbukh IS. Rotated echoes of molecular alignment: fractional, high order and imaginary. OPTICS EXPRESS 2017; 25:24917-24926. [PMID: 29041165 DOI: 10.1364/oe.25.024917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We report experimental observations of rotated echoes of alignment induced by a pair of time-delayed and polarization-skewed femtosecond laser pulses interacting with an ensemble of molecular rotors. Rotated fractional echoes, rotated high order echoes and rotated imaginary echoes are directly visualized by using the technique of coincident Coulomb explosion imaging. We show that the echo phenomenon not only exhibits temporal recurrences but also spatial rotations determined by the polarization of the time-delayed second pulse. The dynamics of echo formation is well described by the laser-induced filamentation in rotational phase space. The quantum-mechanical simulation shows good agreements with the experimental results.
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19
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Mizuse K, Fujimoto R, Mizutani N, Ohshima Y. Direct Imaging of Laser-driven Ultrafast Molecular Rotation. J Vis Exp 2017:54917. [PMID: 28190043 PMCID: PMC5409244 DOI: 10.3791/54917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
We present a method for visualizing laser-induced, ultrafast molecular rotational wave packet dynamics. We have developed a new 2-dimensional Coulomb explosion imaging setup in which a hitherto-impractical camera angle is realized. In our imaging technique, diatomic molecules are irradiated with a circularly polarized strong laser pulse. The ejected atomic ions are accelerated perpendicularly to the laser propagation. The ions lying in the laser polarization plane are selected through the use of a mechanical slit and imaged with a high-throughput, 2-dimensional detector installed parallel to the polarization plane. Because a circularly polarized (isotropic) Coulomb exploding pulse is used, the observed angular distribution of the ejected ions directly corresponds to the squared rotational wave function at the time of the pulse irradiation. To create a real-time movie of molecular rotation, the present imaging technique is combined with a femtosecond pump-probe optical setup in which the pump pulses create unidirectionally rotating molecular ensembles. Due to the high image throughput of our detection system, the pump-probe experimental condition can be easily optimized by monitoring a real-time snapshot. As a result, the quality of the observed movie is sufficiently high for visualizing the detailed wave nature of motion. We also note that the present technique can be implemented in existing standard ion imaging setups, offering a new camera angle or viewpoint for the molecular systems without the need for extensive modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Mizuse
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technology;
| | - Romu Fujimoto
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technology
| | - Nobuo Mizutani
- Equipment Development Center, Institute for Molecular Science
| | - Yasuhiro Ohshima
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technology; Department of Photo-molecular Science, Institute for Molecular Science;
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20
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Skantzakis E, Chatziathanasiou S, Carpeggiani PA, Sansone G, Nayak A, Gray D, Tzallas P, Charalambidis D, Hertz E, Faucher O. Polarization shaping of high-order harmonics in laser-aligned molecules. Sci Rep 2016; 6:39295. [PMID: 27995974 PMCID: PMC5172357 DOI: 10.1038/srep39295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The present work reports on the generation of short-pulse coherent extreme ultraviolet radiation of controlled polarization. The proposed strategy is based on high-order harmonics generated in pre-aligned molecules. Field-free molecular alignment produced by a short linearly-polarized infrared laser pulse is used to break the isotropy of a gas medium. Driving the aligned molecules by a circularly-polarized infrared pulse allows to transfer the anisotropy of the medium to the polarization of the generated harmonic light. The ellipticity of the latter is controlled by adjusting the angular distribution of the molecules at the time they interact with the driving pulse. Extreme ultraviolet radiation produced with high degree of ellipticity (close to circular) is demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Skantzakis
- Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, P.O. Box 1527, GR-711 10 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - S Chatziathanasiou
- Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, P.O. Box 1527, GR-711 10 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
- Department of Physics, University of Crete, P.O. Box 2208, GR71003 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - P A Carpeggiani
- Dipartimento di Fisica Politecnico, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - G Sansone
- ELI-ALPS, ELI-Hu Kft., Dugonics tér 13, H-6720 Szeged Hungary
- Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnologies (IFN)-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica Politecnico, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - A Nayak
- ELI-ALPS, ELI-Hu Kft., Dugonics tér 13, H-6720 Szeged Hungary
| | - D Gray
- Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, P.O. Box 1527, GR-711 10 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - P Tzallas
- Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, P.O. Box 1527, GR-711 10 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
- ELI-ALPS, ELI-Hu Kft., Dugonics tér 13, H-6720 Szeged Hungary
| | - D Charalambidis
- Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, P.O. Box 1527, GR-711 10 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
- Department of Physics, University of Crete, P.O. Box 2208, GR71003 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
- ELI-ALPS, ELI-Hu Kft., Dugonics tér 13, H-6720 Szeged Hungary
| | - E Hertz
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire CARNOT de Bourgogne, UMR 6303 CNRS-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 9 Av. A. Savary, BP 47870, F-21078 DIJON Cedex, France
| | - O Faucher
- ELI-ALPS, ELI-Hu Kft., Dugonics tér 13, H-6720 Szeged Hungary
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire CARNOT de Bourgogne, UMR 6303 CNRS-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 9 Av. A. Savary, BP 47870, F-21078 DIJON Cedex, France
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