Observation of nondispersing classical-like molecular rotation

Abstract

Using the technique of an optical centrifuge, we produce rotational wave packets which evolve in time along either classical-like or non-classical trajectories. After releasing O2 and D2 molecules from the centrifuge, we track their field-free rotation by monitoring the molecular angular distribution with velocity map imaging. Due to the dispersion of the created rotational wave packets in oxygen, we observe a gradual transition between "dumbbell"-shaped and "cross"-shaped distributions, both rotating with a classical rotation frequency. In deuterium, a much narrower rotational wave packet is produced and shown to evolve in a truly classical non-dispersing fashion.

References in corpus (1)

• Molecular quantum rotors in gyroscopic motion with a nonspreading rotational wavepacket

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Visualizing molecular unidirectional rotation
• Enhancing reactivity of SiO${}^{+}$ ions by controlled excitation to extreme rotational states
• Nonlinear dynamics of molecular superrotors