title: Rapid proton transfer mediated by a strong laser field.
abstract: Kinetic energy distributions of ejected from a polyatomic molecule, anthraquinone, subjected to 60 fs, 800 nm laser pulses of intensity between 0.2 and 4.0 x 10(14) W x cm(-2), reveal field-driven restructuring of the molecule prior to Coulomb explosion. Calculations demonstrate fast intramolecular proton migration into a field-dressed metastable potential energy minimum. The proton migration occurs in the direction perpendicular to the polarization of the laser field. Rapid field-mediated isomerization is an important new phenomenon in coupling of polyatomic molecules with intense lasers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Center for Advanced Photonics Research, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, USA.
authors.forename: Alexei N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Markevitch
authors.forename: Dmitri A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Romanov
authors.forename: Stanley M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Levis