Controlling the Alignment and Orientation of Gaseous Molecules with Laser Electric Fields

Abstract

Since most molecules are anisotropic quantum systems, alignment or orientation dependence called steric effects is ubiquitous nature in various phenomena where molecules are involved. Therefore, not only in stereodynamics of chemical reactions but also in electronic stereodynamics in molecules, alignment or orientation dependence is always a matter of central concern and the importance of molecular alignment and orientation techniques has been more and more rising. Here various molecular alignment and orientation techniques with intense nonresonant laser fields are reviewed mainly in chronological order. They include one- and three-dimensional molecular alignment both in the adiabatic regime and in the nonadiabatic regime, and one- and three-dimensional molecular orientation in the adiabatic regime. More recent progresses are the demonstrations of laser-field-free molecular orientation and all-optical molecular orientation. Finally future subjects and perspectives on the applications with a sample of aligned or oriented molecules are discussed.