Dynamics in laser fields
Table of contents
Giant breathing mode in the Buckminster fullerene C60
As the fingerprint of the response (relaxation) of C60, electronically excited in an intense laser field, the breathing mode with very large amplitude is excited due to electron-vibration coupling [1].
Excitation of giant breathing mode
Dynamics of C60 excited by a 30 fs laser with ω = 3 eV and an intensity of 3.3e13 W/cm^2.
Movie:
In a pump-probe experiment, this effect can be observed [1], because the energy absorbed from the probe pulse and, thus, the multiplicity of the measured fragments depend strongly on the actual cage radius R(t) and thus on the delay time.
Typical pump-probe scenario
Dynamics of C60 excited by a pump and a delayed probe pulse.
Movie:
The pump pulse induces breathing, the probe pulse leads to multifragmentation. The number of fragments oscillates as a function of the delay time as the radius oscillates.
- T. Laarmann, I. Shchatsinin, A. Stalmashonak, M. Boyle, N. Zhavoronkov, J. Handt, R. Schmidt, C.P. Schulz, and I.V. Hertel, Control of Giant Breathing Motion in C60 with Temporally Shaped Laser Pulses, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 058302 (2007).