title: Direct observation of an attosecond electron wave packet in a nitrogen molecule.
abstract: Capturing electron motion in a molecule is the basis of understanding or steering chemical reactions. Nonlinear Fourier transform spectroscopy using an attosecond-pump/attosecond-probe technique is used to observe an attosecond electron wave packet in a nitrogen molecule in real time. The 500-as electronic motion between two bound electronic states in a nitrogen molecule is captured by measuring the fragment ions with the same kinetic energy generated in sequential two-photon dissociative ionization processes. The temporal evolution of electronic coherence originating from various electronic states is visualized via the fragment ions appearing after irradiation of the probe pulse. This observation of an attosecond molecular electron wave packet is a critical step in understanding coupled nuclear and electron motion in polyatomic and biological molecules to explore attochemistry.
authors.affiliation: Attosecond Science Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okino
authors.affiliation: Attosecond Science Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.affiliation: Attosecond Science Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nabekawa
authors.affiliation: Attosecond Science Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Shungo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyabe
authors.affiliation: Attosecond Science Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amani Eilanlou
authors.affiliation: Attosecond Science Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiji J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamanouchi
authors.affiliation: Attosecond Science Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Midorikawa
keywords: Physics; Ultrafast Optics; attosecond; electron dynamics