Leonid Rybak

Generating Molecular Rovibrational Coherence by Two-Photon Femtosecond Photoassociation of Thermally Hot Atoms

The formation of diatomic molecules with rotational and vibrational coherence is demonstrated experimentally in free-to-bound two-photon femtosecond photoassociation of hot atoms. In a thermal gas at a temperature of 1000 K, pairs of magnesium atoms, colliding in their electronic ground state, are excited into coherent superpositions of bound rovibrational levels in an electronically excited state. The rovibrational coherence is probed by a time-delayed third photon, resulting in quantum beats in the UV fluorescence. A comprehensive theoretical model based on ab initio calculations rationalizes the generation of coherence by Franck-Condon filtering of collision energies and partial waves, quantifying it in terms of an increase in quantum purity of the thermal ensemble. Our results open the way to coherent control of a binary reaction.

Enhancement of intermediate-field two-photon absorption by rationally shaped femtosecond pulses

We extend the powerful frequency-domain analysis of femtosecond two-photon absorption to the intermediate-field regime of considerable absorption yields, where additionally to the weak-field nonresonant two-photon transitions also four-photon transitions play a role. Consequently, we rationally find that the absorption is enhanced over the transform-limited pulse by any shaped pulse having a spectral phase that is antisymmetric around one-half of the transition frequency and a spectrum that is asymmetric around it (red or blue detuned according to the system). The enhancement increases as the field strength increases. The theoretical results for Na are verified experimentally.

Femtosecond two-photon photoassociation of hot magnesium atoms: A quantum dynamical study using thermal random phase wavefunctions

Two-photon photoassociation of hot magnesium atoms by femtosecond laser pulses, creating electronically excited magnesium dimer molecules, is studied from first principles, combining ab initio quantum chemistry and molecular quantum dynamics. This theoretical framework allows for rationalizing the generation of molecular rovibrational coherence from thermally hot atoms [L. Rybak, S. Amaran, L. Levin, M. Tomza, R. Moszynski, R. Kosloff, C. P. Koch, and Z. Amitay, Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 273001 (2011)]. Random phase thermal wavefunctions are employed to model the thermal ensemble of hot colliding atoms. Comparing two different choices of basis functions, random phase wavefunctions built from eigenstates are found to have the fastest convergence for the photoassociation yield. The interaction of the colliding atoms with a femtosecond laser pulse is modeled non-perturbatively to account for strong-field effects.

Pulse-bandwidth dependence of coherent phase control of resonance-mediated ( 2 + 1 ) three-photon absorption

We study in detail coherent phase control of femtosecond resonance-mediated

Frequency-domain coherent control of femtosecond two-photon absorption: intermediate-field versus weak-field regime

(2+1)

Intermediate-field two-photon absorption enhancement by shaped femtosecond pulses: Tolerance to phase deviation from perfect antisymmetry

three-photon absorption and its dependence on the spectral bandwidth of the excitation pulse. The regime is the weak-field regime of third perturbative order. The corresponding interference mechanism involves a group of three-photon excitation pathways that are on resonance with the intermediate state and a group of three-photon excitation pathways that are near resonant with it. The model system of the study is atomic sodium (Na), for which experimental and numerical-theoretical results are obtained. Prominent among the results is our finding that with simple proper pulse shaping an increase in the excitation bandwidth leads to a corresponding increase in the enhancement of the three-photon absorption over the absorption induced by the (unshaped) transform-limited pulse. For example, here, a 40 nm bandwidth leads to an order-of-magnitude enhancement over the transform-limited absorption.

Femtosecond coherent control of thermal photoassociation of magnesium atoms

Coherent control of femtosecond two-photon absorption in the intermediate-field regime is analysed in detail in the powerful frequency domain using an extended fourth-order perturbative description. The corresponding absorption is coherently induced by the weak-field non-resonant two-photon transitions as well as by four-photon transitions involving three absorbed photons and one emitted photon. The interferences between these two groups of transitions lead to a difference between the intermediate-field and weak-field absorption dynamics. The corresponding interference nature (constructive or destructive) strongly depends on the detuning direction of the pulse spectrum from one-half of the two-photon transition frequency. The model system of the study is atomic sodium, for which both experimental and theoretical results are obtained. The detailed understanding obtained here serves as a basis for coherent control with rationally-shaped femtosecond pulses in a regime of sizeable absorption yields.

NIR femtosecond phase control of resonance-mediated generation of coherent UV radiation

We study in detail the coherent interference mechanism leading to the intermediate-field two-photon absorption enhancement recently found for shaped femtosecond pulses with spectral phases that are antisymmetric around one-half of the transition frequency. We particularly investigate the tolerance of the phenomenon to the phase deviation from perfect antisymmetry. We theoretically and experimentally find that this tolerance increases as the field strength increases. For the present Na excitation, the enhancement occurs even when

Linear-optical access to topological insulator surface states

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Semiconductor-superconductor optoelectronic devices

30% of the phase pattern is not antisymmetric. Our findings are of particular importance for multichannel coherent control scenarios.