DRESSED STATES OF MOLECULES AND STATE FOCUSING

The state-focusing properties of the dressed states of a molecule in a strong microwave field are studied through molecular-beam microwave-m icrowave double-resonance spectroscopy. The state-focusing properties can be easily obtained through the dressed state formalism using a sud den approximation for the transition between field-free and dressed mo lecular states. Using this formalism, the transition moment and state- focusing properties of dressed states can be predicted by considering the component molecular states in the molecule-field eigenstates. By c arefully constructing the molecule-field eigenstates, powerful double- resonance capabilities can be obtained by borrowing state-focusing cha racter from other molecular states. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Sci ence B.V.