Molecular collisions in a multimode laser field: computational study of the effect of time variation in the laser intensity

Abstract

Effects due to the time variation of the field intensity on molecular collision processes occurring in a laser field are studied. It is seen that averaging over the time profile of the intensity must be done carefully when analysing experimental results. This is particularly important if the collision takes place in a strong multimode laser field in which the intensity varies over a considerable range of values. As an illustration, a close coupling calculation is performed on a model system, and the collision cross section in a multimode laser field is compared with that in a single-mode laser field.