Three-body fragmentation of triatomic molecular ions in a strong laser field

POSTER

Abstract

Coincidence three-dimensional momentum imaging measurements of three-body fragmentation of transient triply-charged CO$_2$ molecules reveal competing fragmentation paths involving bending, symmetric and asymmetric stretching, as well as the more complex sequential breakup (i.e. one bond at a time) [1,2]. We have extended these studies using a CO$_2^+$ molecular-ion-beam target, providing similar results for the breakup of the transient CO$_2^{3+} \rightarrow$ O$^++$C$^++$O$^+$. The detection of neutral fragments also enables kinematically complete measurements of the three-body breakup of the transient CO$_2^{2+}$. Our results, for CO$_2^+$ in ultrashort ($\sim$26 fs) intense (10$^{15}$ to 10$^{16}$ W/cm$^2$) laser pulses at 790 nm, suggest significant bending in the C$^++$O$^++$O$^+$ channel as well as sequential breakup. In contrast, sequential breakup is suppressed in the O$^++$C$^++$O and O$^++$C$+$O$^+$ channels.\\[4pt] [1] N. Neumann \textit{et al.}, Phys Rev. Lett. \textbf{104}, 103201 (2010)\\[0pt] [2] Cong Wu \textit{et al.}, Phys Rev. Lett. \textbf{110}, 103601 (2013)

Authors

  • U. Ablikim

    J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA, J.R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Department, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506 USA, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Dept., Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA

  • M. Zohrabi

    J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA, J.R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Department, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506 USA, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Dept., Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA

  • Bethany Jochim

    J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA, J.R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Department, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506 USA, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Dept., Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA

  • Ben Berry

    J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, J.R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Department, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506 USA, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Dept., Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA

  • K. Carnes

    J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA, J.R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Department, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506 USA, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Dept., Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Department, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA

  • I. Ben-Itzhak

    J.R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Dept, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, U.S.A., J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA, J.R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Department, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506 USA, J.R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Dept, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, U.S.A, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Dept., Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA, J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Physics Department, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA