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Formation of molecular Rydberg states in an intense laser field

  • Regular Article – Molecular Physics and Chemical Physics
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Abstract

In this paper, we experimentally study the decay constants and the Rydberg states population of molecular ions generated in a strong laser field by using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The lifetime of molecular ions is determined by tuning the initial velocity of the aimed ions into the free flight zone of the mass-spectrometer, which is a facile and straightforward method. The lifetime of CO\(^{+}\) is 13.91±5.31 \(\mu \)s, while that of CO\(^{2+}\) is 6.68±1.41 \(\mu \)s. The lifetime of H\(_{2}^{+}\), H\(_{2}\)O\(^{+}\), and O\(_{2}^{+}\) are 2.93±1.25 \(\mu \)s, 4.01±0.52 \(\mu \)s, and 5.22±1.93 \(\mu \)s. Part of the molecular ions are populated in the Rydberg states, and the distribution of their populations in the Rydberg states is achieved via precise calibration of the dc field of the acceleration region.

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Data Availability Statement

This manuscript has no associated data or the data will not be deposited [Authors’ comment: Data is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.]

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. U1932133, 11905089 and 12027809).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Guoqiang Shi, Yulin Xiang, Jianting Lei, Shaohua Sun, Zuoye Liu & Bitao Hu

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Contributions

GQS performed all the experiments, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. YLX, JTL, and SHS contributed to the scientific discussions and corrections. ZYL and BTH supervised GQS. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Zuoye Liu.

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Shi, G., Xiang, Y., Lei, J. et al. Formation of molecular Rydberg states in an intense laser field. Eur. Phys. J. D 77, 20 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/s10053-023-00593-w

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