Orientation and alignment echoes

We present one of the simplest classical systems featuring the echo phenomenon-a collection of randomly oriented free rotors with dispersed rotational velocities. Following excitation by a pair of time-delayed impulsive kicks, the mean orientation or alignment of the ensemble exhibits multiple echoe...

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Published inPhysical review letters Vol. 114; no. 15; p. 153601
Main Authors Karras, G, Hertz, E, Billard, F, Lavorel, B, Hartmann, J-M, Faucher, O, Gershnabel, Erez, Prior, Yehiam, Averbukh, Ilya Sh
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 17.04.2015
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Summary:We present one of the simplest classical systems featuring the echo phenomenon-a collection of randomly oriented free rotors with dispersed rotational velocities. Following excitation by a pair of time-delayed impulsive kicks, the mean orientation or alignment of the ensemble exhibits multiple echoes and fractional echoes. We elucidate the mechanism of the echo formation by the kick-induced filamentation of phase space, and provide the first experimental demonstration of classical alignment echoes in a thermal gas of CO_{2} molecules excited by a pair of femtosecond laser pulses.
ISSN:1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.153601