title: Tailoring the optical dipole force for molecules by field-induced alignment.
abstract: We report on the ability to tailor the optical dipole force for molecules by tuning their effective polarizability with strong field alignment using polarized fields. We have measured a difference of 20% in the dipole force on cold CS2 molecules when changing from linear to near-circular polarization using peak field intensities of 5.7x10(11) W cm(-2). A variation in the focal length with laser polarization of a molecular-optical lens formed by a single focused laser beam was also measured. This provides a new way of modifying this force for many molecules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Purcell
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Barker