Strong fields induce ultrafast rearrangement of H-atoms in H$_2$O

F. A. Rajgara; D. Mathur; A. K. Dharmadhikari; C. P. Safvan

doi:10.1063/1.3157234

paper

Strong fields induce ultrafast rearrangement of H-atoms in H $_{2}$ O

arXiv:0812.2135 · doi:10.1063/1.3157234

Abstract

H-atoms in H $_{2}$ O are rearranged by strong optical fields generated by intense, 10 fs laser pulses to form H $_{2}^{+}$ , against prevailing wisdom that strong fields inevitably lead to multiple molecular ionization and the subsequent Coulomb explosion into fragments. This atomic rearrangement is shown to occur within a single 10 fs pulse. Comparison with results obtained with $\sim$ 300-attosecond long strong fields generated using fast Si $^{8 +}$ ions helps establish thresholds for field strength and time required for such rearrangements. Quantum-chemical calculations reveal that H $_{2}^{+}$ originates in the $^{1}$ A state of H $_{2}$ O $^{2 +}$ when the O-H bond elongates to 1.15 a.u. and the H-O-H angle becomes 120 $^{o}$ . Bond formation on the ultrafast timescale of molecular vibrations (10 fs for H $_{2}^{+}$ ) has hitherto not been reported.

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Molecular symmetry effects in the ionization of CS $_{2}$ by intense, few-cycle laser pulses

Strong fields induce ultrafast rearrangement of H-atoms in H2​O

Abstract

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Strong fields induce ultrafast rearrangement of H-atoms in H $_{2}$ O