White-Light-Induced Fragmentation of Toluene

A. M. Müller; B. Witzel; C. J. G. J. Uiterwaal; J. Wanner; K.-L. Kompa

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.023001

White-Light-Induced Fragmentation of Toluene

A. M. Müller, B. Witzel, C. J. G. J. Uiterwaal, J. Wanner, and K.-L. Kompa

Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 023001 – Published 21 December 2001

Abstract

We investigate the influence of continuum generation on the photofragmentation dynamics of the toluene molecule. By sending an 80-fs Ti:sapphire laser beam through a 2-mm-thick ${CaF}_{2}$ plate we show that even moderately broadened laser frequency spectra considerably increase the degree of fragmentation, while it is nearly absent without continuum generation. The measured broadening of the frequency spectra and the known Raman-active vibrational modes of toluene afford an explanation in terms of a stimulated Raman scattering scheme, in which the molecule absorbs large amounts of vibrational energy.

Received 15 August 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.023001

Authors & Affiliations

A. M. Müller^1,*, B. Witzel^2,†, C. J. G. J. Uiterwaal^1,‡,§, J. Wanner¹, and K.-L. Kompa¹

¹Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Strasse 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
²Department of Molecular and Optical Physics, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Strasse 3, 79104 Freiburg, Germany

^*Present address: JILA, University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80309-0440.
^†To whom correspondence should be addressed.Email addresses: witzel@uni-freiburg.de; cuiterwaal2@unlnotes.unl.edu
^‡
^§Present address: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 116 Brace Lab, Lincoln, NE 68588-0111.