Inelastic atom-atom scattering within an intense laser beam

Abstract

An analysis is given of multiphoton transitions between discrete quasimolecular states during the near-adiabatic collision of atoms and/or molecules. The variation of level spacing with changing internuclear separation can permit resonance absorption of one or more photons. Sufficiently intense laser beams can also significantly distort the molecular structure to modify potential surfaces, change activation energies, and so on. Through these two mechanisms specific chemical reactions in gases can be made to occur with rates that depend on laser power.