Strong-field control over the product branching ratios in molecular dissociation

We present a theoretical and experimental study of strong-field control over the fragmentation channel in molecular dissociation by intense, single-color laser fields with emphasis on the effect of chirped pulses. In particular, the branching ratio between H+D$^+$ and H$^+$+D from an HD$^+$ target is examined as a function of kinetic energy release for 790 nm pulses with intensities on the order of $10^{14}$ W/cm$^2$ and pulse lengths ranging from 25 to 65 fs. Theoretical calculations based on numerical solutions of the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation in the Born-Oppenheimer approximation are compared to measurements using a coincidence 3-D momentum imaging technique. Both demonstrate that control is indeed possible and depends, as expected, on details of the laser pulse such as its chirp.