IR LASER CHEMISTRY

Recent progress in IR laser chemistry is reviewed with stress on the c onceptual background and experimental advances from our research group . In particular we discuss various experimental schemes in laser chemi stry as related to thermal reactions and ordinary photochemistry, and new results in time and frequency resolved kinetic IR spectroscopy at the limit defined by the uncertainty relation. The recent detection of hyperfine effects in IR laser chemistry is reviewed as well as nonlin ear intensity dependence over many orders of magnitude including obser vations of nonlinear intensity fall-off and IR laser ionization of mol ecules. An outlook is presented on different time scales for intramole cular processes and the resulting future possibilities of IR laser che mical reaction control.