Fragment angular distribution in one- and two-color photodissociation by strong laser fields

Abstract

We present calculations for ${\mathrm{H}}_2^{+}$ photodissociation in intense short laser pulses where molecular rotation is fully included, resulting in the experimentally observed alignment of the photofragments. In addition, we show that by using a coherent superposition (phase-locked) of a fundamental radiation and its second harmonic, a strong asymmetry between the forwards and backwards proton distribution can be observed. Both the total dissociation probability and the asymmetry of the ion distribution are sensitive to the relative phase of the two colors and thus subject to coherent control.