Abstract

The arrival of femtosecond laser pulses has heralded a new era in which it is possible to interrogate molecular motion on a time scale within a vibrational period and achieve state selection in molecular processes.¹ We have included key aspects of the interaction of lasers with molecules in wave packet studies.² Emphasis has been placed on the process of wave packet excitation and on the traversal of a wave packet through a resonance that couples it to another electronic level (known as a laser-induced crossing). We use both simple models and exact quantum mechanical calculations performed on supercomputers.

© 1994 IEEE