Hall 123

Laser-driven rotational wavepackets in asymmetric top molecules: A route to molecular frame measurements

Vinod Kumarappan

Kansas State University

The interactions of molecules with each other and with external fields
depend on their relative orientation, but often this aspect is obscured in gas-phase
measurements due to orientational averaging. In this Colloquium I will describe our
efforts to control the orientation of gas-phase molecules using strong non-resonant
laser pulses, focusing particularly on three-dimensional alignment of asymmetric top
molecules. I will also discuss how the angle dependence of ultrafast photo-induced
processes can be obtained using pump-probe measurements from a rotational
wave-packet. These techniques provide us with access to molecular frame information
that is, especially for asymmetric tops, currently unattainable by any other means.