Atomic and Molecular Processes with Short Intense Laser Pulses

This volume contains the lectures and communications presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on "Atomic and Molecular Processes with Short Intense Laser Pulses" (NATO ARW 848/86). The workshop was held at Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Que, Canada, July 19-24, 1987, under the directorship of Prof. A.D. Bandrauk, Universite de Sherbrooke. A scientific committee made up of Dr. P. Corkum (Laser Physics, ~ational Research Council of Canada), Dr. P. Hackett (Laser Chemistry, National Research Council of Canada), Prof. S.C. Wallace (Dept. of Chemistry and Physics, University of Toronto), and Prof. F.H.M. Faisal (FakultHt fUr Physik, UniversitHt Bellefeld) was called upon to invite and organize eminent lectures in the fields of i) Coherence Phenomena in Atomic and Molecular Photoprocesses. ii) High Intensity Atomic and Molecular Phenomena. iii) Laser Chemistry The aim of the workshop was to bring together chemists and physicists in order to~iscuss and analyze the progress made in the use of short in tense laser pulses in understanding coherence phenomena and high intensity, nonlin~adiative effects in atomic and molecular systems.

Inhalt
Coherence Phenomena.- Laser Pulse Shaping for State-Selective Excitation.- Quantitative Measurement of the Role of Phase Fluctuations in Nonlinear Optical Absorption Processes.- Multiphoton Atomic and Molecular Coherent Excitations with Ultrashort Pulse Sequences.- Temporal Coherence in One-Photon Excitation of a Molecular Quasicontinuum.- Interferometry in the Nonlinear Spectroscopy of Gases.- Effects of Excited State Absorption on Optical Pulse Propagation.- Propagation of Ultrashort Laser Pulses in an N-Level Medium.- High Spectral Brightness Dye Lasers.- Light-Induced Collisional Energy Transfer Revisited.- Theory of Laser-Pulse-Induced Molecular Dynamics: Gas-Phase Molecular Collisions and Adbond Dynamics.- Rydberg States in Laser Fields.- Wave Packets in Vibrational Motion of Sodium Dimer.- Fast Fourier Transform Techniques in Numerical Simulations of Intense Pulse-Molecule Interactions.- Interference in Two-Photon Absorption at High-Field Crossings.- Time-Resolved Electronic Raman Scattering of the Nanosecond Time Scale.- Density Measurements of Hg 2P0,1,2 Excited States in a Discharge Using Saturated Laser Absorption.- High Intensity Multiphoton Processes.- Above Threshold Ionization in Strong Fields and Classical Behavior of Electrons in Short Light Pulses.- Above-Threshold Ionization and the Quantum Mechanics of Wiggling Electrons.- Ultrashort Pulse Multiphoton Ionization of Xenon at moderate Pressures.- Discussion of Limiting Deposition Power Densities in Laser Target Materials.- Above Threshold Ionization in Xe with a CO2 Laser.- Multiphoton Multielectron Excitation and Ionization of H2.- Resonance Ionization Processes in Small Molecules.- Third Harmonic Generation and Multiphoton Ionization Spectroscopy.- Experimental Investigation of Multiphoton Free-Free Transitions.- Theory of Multiphoton Ionization.- Electron Energy Spectrum after Multiphoton Ionization.- All-Order Above Threshold Ionization and Related Problems.- Numerical Simulations of Multiphoton Processes in Many Electron Atoms.- Numerical ATI Wave Functions and their Implications.- Ionization of One-Dimensional Hydrogen Atoms with Intense Microwave and Laser Pulses.- Above Threshold Photodissociation with Intense IR Lasers A Coupled Equations Study.- Laser Energy Absorption due to Local Plasmon Excitation in Complex Atoms.- Atomic Hydrogen in Intense, High-Frequency Laser Fields.- A Contribution Towards the Theory of Multichannel Multi-photon Ionization of Atoms.- H+2 in Intense Fields A Coupled Equations Study.- Intense-Field Radiative Processes in the Coulomb Continuum.- Adiabatic Separability of Dressed Molecular Systems.- The Interaction of Intense Picosecond Infrared Pulses with Isolated Molecules.- Intramolecular Vibrational Relaxation and the Dynamics of the High-Power Two-Photon Excitation of NO2.- Coherent Excitation of Polyatomic Molecules by Ultrashort Laser Pulses A Model Calculation.- Picosecond Dynamics of Intramolecular Vibrational Redistribution in Jet-Cooled Molecules.- Subpicosecond UV/IR Absorption Spectroscopy.- Vibrational Predissociation Dynamics of the Nitric Oxide Dimer.- Multiphoton Absorption Fragmentation Mechanism of CH3I by Picosecond and Nanosecond Laser Mass Spectrometry.- Laser Catalysis and Control of Chemical Reactions.- Making Molecules Dance: Optimal Control of Molecular Motion.- Quantum Dynamics of Short Pulse Vibrational Overtone Spectroscopy and Photochemistry.- IR Laser Excitation in Molecules: Chaos and Diffusive Energy Growth.- Rotational Coherences in the IR Excitation of Molecular Rotations at High Intensities.- Chaotic Dynamics, Polyatomic Molecules, Multiphoton Dissociation and All That.- Theoretical Study on the Possibility of Local Mode (LM) Excitation in Polyatomics by Frequency-Modulated (FM) Pulse Lasers.- Multiphoton Excitation of Bond Modes.- Temporal and Steady State Transition Probabilities for Molecules Interacting with Oscillating and Static Electric Fields and Surfaces.- Some Theoretical Aspects of Infrared Molecular Lasers Pumped by Electronic-to-Vibrational Energy Transfer.- Some Intense Field Laser-Molecule Thoeretical Techniques.- Author Index.