title: A combined experimental and theoretical study on realizing and using laser controlled torsion of molecules.
abstract: It is demonstrated that strong laser pulses can introduce torsional motion in the axially chiral molecule 3,5-difluoro-3('),5(')-dibromobiphenyl. A nanosecond laser pulse spatially aligns the stereogenic carbon-carbon (C-C) bond axis allowing a perpendicularly polarized, intense femtosecond pulse to initiate torsional motion accompanied by a rotation about the fixed axis. We monitor the induced motion by femtosecond time-resolved Coulomb explosion imaging. Our theoretical analysis corroborates the experimental findings and on the basis of these results we discuss future applications of laser-induced torsion, viz., time-resolved studies of deracemization and laser controlled molecular junctions based on molecules with torsion.
authors: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Lundbeck Foundation Theoretical Center for Quantum System Research, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
authors: C B
authors: CB
authors: Madsen
authors: L B
authors: LB
authors: Madsen
authors: S S
authors: SS
authors: Viftrup
authors: M P
authors: MP
authors: Johansson
authors: T B
authors: TB
authors: Poulsen
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Holmegaard
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Kumarappan
authors: K A
authors: KA
authors: Jørgensen
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Stapelfeldt