Control of specific vibrational modes in carbon nanotubes and fullerenes responding to fast intense laser pulses

This talk will review the results of Xiang Zhou [1] and Chenwei Jiang [2] for the response of carbon nanotubes and fullerenes to ultrafast laser pulses. For carbon nanotubes at low temperature, it is predicted [1] that laser pulses with \textit{optimized durations} will excite particular vibrational modes with high specificity. This prediction results from a simple analytical model, and is confirmed by completely independent and detailed supercomputer simulations using semiclassical electron-radiation-ion dynamics, which are in remarkably precise agreement with the analytical solution. Similarly, for fullerenes at low temperature it is predicted [2] that a sequence of laser pulses with an \textit{optimized delay} between pulses will excite a specifically chosen vibrational mode. In addition, vibrational modes can be suppressed and more generally controlled by an additional pulse. [1] X. Zhou, C. Jiang, and R. E. Allen, to be published. [2] C. Jiang, X. Zhou, R. H. Xie, F. L. Li, and R. E. Allen, to be published.