Optics Seminar

Chemistry and physics of ultracold (below 1 mK) molecules is a fast growing field with wide possibilities for future applications. One of them is the control of the chemical reactions dynamics. The reaction investigated experimentally by the group of Tanya Zelevinsky at the University of Columbia in New York is a light-induced photodissociation of the diatomic strontium molecule. The experiment was performed with the full control over the initial quantum states of the molecule and nal states of the fragments.I will present the theoretical description of the photodissociation experi-ment. It will be proven that the the well-known approximate models of thephotodissociation are not sucient to understand the experiment with full quantum state control. In contrast, the quantum model fully explains experimental findings, such as the lack of the cylindrical symmetry of the images and the existence of a shape resonance.I will also discuss the changes in the photodissociation patterns induced bythe magnetic field. The theoretical model predicts strong mixing of the J partial waves in the photofragment energy continuum and explains the unexpectedly complicated experimental images.