University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Femtosecond laser studies of molecular wavepacket dynamics in the cesium dimer

Rodriguez, George

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/22033

Description

Title
Femtosecond laser studies of molecular wavepacket dynamics in the cesium dimer
Author(s)
Rodriguez, George
Issue Date
1993
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Eden, James G.
Department of Study
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Discipline
Electrical Engineering
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • Chemistry, Physical
  • Physics, Molecular
  • Physics, Optics
Language
eng
Abstract
  • Femtosecond laser pump-probe experiments have been applied to the study of vibrational wavepacket dynamics in the excited states of the cesium dimer, Cs$\sb2.$ The real-time vibrational motion of the molecule is observed by probing the quantum motion of the wavepacket on a potential surface by a pair of time-delayed ultrafast laser pulses. Specifically, pumping the $\rm C(\sp1\Pi\sb{u})\gets X(\sp1\Sigma\sb{g}\sp+)\ Cs\sb2$ band at several wavelengths between 627 nm and 650 nm produces a wavepacket with an oscillation period of $\sim$1.15 psec. The wavepacket is detected by photoionizing the excited molecule with a time-delayed probe pulse. The wavepacket oscillations persist for approximately 20 psec, and their decay is attributed to the dephasing of the vibrational wavefunctions that comprise the wavepacket.
  • Using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) spectral method, numerical quantum calculations of the time dependent Schrodinger equation have been performed to simulate the time evolution of the wavepacket density. The wavepacket simulations reproduce the experimentally observed oscillations, and can be used to describe the classical motion of the molecule.
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/22033
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 1993 Rodriguez, George

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Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois
Dissertations and Theses - Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dissertations and Theses in Electrical and Computer Engineering