Quantum control of molecular rotational excitation

Ichihara, Akira 

With the recent progress of developments of laser devices, pulses with the intensity higher than 100 MeV/cm have been generated in the THz region. As an application of the THz pulses, there is rotational excitation of a diatomic molecule by a frequency comb. This article mentions the excitation process briefly. First, interaction between the molecule and the laser field is introduced. The frequency comb is given in a form of a periodic delta function. Then we explain that the molecule can be excited into a high rotational state by tuning spectral frequencies of the comb to rotational transition frequency of the molecule. Finally, the computational result for the LiCl molecule is given in order to demonstrate the rotational excitation process induced by the frequency comb.