STRONG-FIELD DISSOCIATION AND IONIZATION OF H-2(-PULSES() USING ULTRASHORT LASER)

By using laser pulses (40 fsec) on the order of the vibrational period of H-2(+) and high-dynamic ranee detection electronics, we have remov ed, for the first time, the ambiguities in interpreting the proton kin etic energy spectrum resulting from the dissociation and ionization of H-2(+). We then use the kinetic energy spectrum to directly test rece nt calculations of the ionization rate of H-2(+) as a function of inte rnuclear separation.