Excitation and acceleration of neutral atoms in strong short-pulse laser fields
PD Dr. Ulrich Eichmann
(Max-Born-Institut, Berlin)
22.02.2012
Kinematic manipulation of neutral atoms in inhomogeneous laser fields has been widely studied, e.g., in cw laser fields. In this talk I will report on experiments where we have investigated kinematic effects on neutral atoms using strong short-pulse laser fields with intensities up to 1016 Wcm-2 and pulse durations in the range from 40 to 120 fs. We measure deflections of neutral atoms, which correspond to ultra strong accelerations with magnitudes as high as 1014 times Earth’s gravitational acceleration. To understand this fascinating phenomenon I will elucidate, why and how atoms survive strong laser fields and discuss how this relates to the famous “Kramers-Henneberger” atom. Furthermore, I will describe the influence on strong field dissociation of molecules and finally give an outlook on kinematic effects on neutral atoms in designed strong laser fields.