Molecular Dynamics in Ultrastrong Laser Fields.

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Frontier research in high intensity laser science is the basis of this work. Both a high intensity laser laboratory capable of creating trillion-watt peak powers and a theory effort to model the dynamics of the laser-matter interaction will be conducted with the funding. Atoms and molecules form the building blocks of matter; molecules by far comprise nearly every material we use on a daily basis. Due to the extensive presence of molecules, this research will specifically focus on understanding the interactions of high intensity lasers with matter in the molecular form. An understanding of highly energetic molecular states is expected as well as the connection between atoms and molecules when interacting with lasers. The work involves intensive, hands-on training and funding for the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate level. Training will involve transferable abilities into highly skilled, global workforce areas including: lasers and optics, electrical and mechanical engineering, computer modeling, laboratory research, and management of research groups. The work will quantify how the molecules are excited by intense lasers well beyond traditional intensities of 1 PW/cm^2. The experimental and theory studies will extend up to the ultrastrong fields and intensities of 10,000 PW/cm^2. The ion fragments have charge states extending beyond the electrons involved in molecular bonding, deep into the atomic structure. The energies of the electrons from these interactions extend from 10,000 eV to 1,000,000 eV. The broad scientific question involves how ultrastrong laser fields interact with molecules. The work bridges an important gap between the physics of individual atoms and the many body collective effects in plasmas and condensed matter. This proposed research will extend the molecule – laser interaction into ultrastrong fields. In this new regime forces and energies are thousands of times greater than for current molecular studies. The mechanisms for the formation of high charge states and the energetics of the molecular fragments will be quantified experimentally and modeled theoretically. Students from the group have secured employment into significant positions across science and technology disciplines from national defense contracting to medical physics to laser materials processing industry. The grant will fund a post-graduate training position specifically designed to help train recent graduates, especially underrepresented demographics, for challenges that can occur in the scientific workplace.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.