A test of optimal laser impulsion for controlling population within the N_s = 1, N_r = 5 polyad of ¹²C₂H₂

ABSTRACT

Optimal control theory has been employed to populate separately two dark states of the acetylene polyad, N_s = 1 and N_r = 5, by indirect coupling via the ground state. Relevant level energies and transition dipole moments are extracted from the experimental literature. The optimal pulses are rather simple. The evolution of the population is shown for the duration of the control process and also for the field-free evolution that follows the control. One of the dark states appears to be a potential target for realistic experimental investigation because the average population of the Rabi oscillation remains high and decoherence is expected to be weak.

Keywords:

• Optimal control
• effective Hamiltonian
• acetylene
• polyad

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was sponsored by the ‘Wiener-Anspach’ foundation (ACME project) and supported by the FRS-FNRS of Belgium [grant number I.I.S.N. 4.4504.10]. N. Iacobellis and L. Santos acknowledge an FRIA research grant from the FRS-FNRS of Belgium. M. Desouter-Lecomte thanks the FRS-FNRS of Belgium for a grant. We also thank the COST XLIC and MOLIM actions. This work has been performed within the French GDR 3575 THEMS. D.S. Perry acknowledges support from the US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences [grant number DE-FG02-90ER14151].