Dissociative ionization of D-2 in a linearly polarized two-color (omega+2 omega) laser field: Role of high-lying electronic states - art. no. 053408

Experiments have been carried out to study the dissociative ionization of a D-2 molecule interacting with an intense linearly polarized two-color (ome ga +2 omega) laser field. The response of the molecule to the individual la ser fields at 800 and 400 nm indicate that at the shorter wavelength some o f the molecules are dissociating in a direction perpendicular the polarizat ion axis of the laser field, whereas such transitions are not observable at the longer wavelength. However, the perpendicular transitions seem to have been enhanced when both the laser purses with their polarization axes para llel to each other are synchronously acting on the molecule. This observati on was interpreted in terms of stronger coupling between 1s sigma (g) and t he high lying 3d sigma (g) and 2p pi (u) electronic states of D-2(+) when p hotons of the two colors are present, investigations have also been carried out to study the response of the molecule with the polarization direction of the laser fields at omega and 2 omega orthogonal to each other confirm t he role of high-lying electronic states during the dissociative ionization of the D-2 molecule.