%0 Journal Article
%T Steering proton migration in hydrocarbons using intense few-cycle laser fields
%A M. K¨¹bel
%A R. Siemering
%A C. Burger
%A Nora G. Kling
%A H. Li
%A A. S. Alnaser
%A B. Bergues
%A S. Zherebtsov
%A A. M. Azzeer
%A I. Ben-Itzhak
%A R. Moshammer
%A R. de Vivie-Riedle
%A M. F. Kling
%J Physics
%D 2015
%I arXiv
%X Proton migration is a ubiquitous process in chemical reactions related to biology, combustion, and catalysis. Thus, the ability to control the movement of nuclei with tailored light, within a hydrocarbon molecule holds promise for far-reaching applications. Here, we demonstrate the steering of hydrogen migration in simple hydrocarbons, namely acetylene and allene, using waveform-controlled, few-cycle laser pulses. The rearrangement dynamics are monitored using coincident 3D momentum imaging spectroscopy, and described with a quantum-dynamical model. Our observations reveal that the underlying control mechanism is due to the manipulation of the phases in a vibrational wavepacket by the intense off-resonant laser field.
%U http://arxiv.org/abs/1508.04018v1