Time-resolved imaging and manipulation of H2 fragmentation in intense laser fields

Phys Rev Lett. 2005 Aug 26;95(9):093001. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.093001. Epub 2005 Aug 23.

Abstract

We report on the experimental realization of time-resolved coincident Coulomb explosion imaging of H2 fragmentation in 10(14) W/cm(2) laser fields. Combining a high-resolution "reaction microscope" and a fs pump-probe setup, we map the motion of wave packets dissociating via one- or two-photon channels, respectively, and observe a new region of enhanced ionization. The long-term interferometric stability of our system allows us to extend pump-probe experiments into the region of overlapping pulses, which offers new possibilities for the manipulation of ultrafast molecular fragmentation dynamics.