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  • Review Article
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Attosecond molecular dynamics: fact or fiction?

Nature Photonics volume 8, pages 195–204 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

The emerging application of attosecond techniques to molecular systems allows the role of electronic coherence in the control of chemical reactions to be investigated. Prompt ionization of molecules by an attosecond pulse may induce charge migration across a molecular structure on attosecond to few-femtosecond timescales, thereby possibly determining the subsequent relaxation pathways that a molecule may take. We discuss how proposals for this 'charge-directed reactivity' fit within the current understanding of quantum control and review the current state of the art of attosecond molecular science. Specifically, we review the role of electronic coherence and coupling of the electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom in high-harmonic spectroscopy and in the first attosecond pump–probe experiments on molecular systems.

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Figure 1: Chemical structures of small biomolecules discussed in this Review.
Figure 2: Ultrafast charge migration in the Gly–Gly–NH–CH3 oligopeptide following sudden ionization.
Figure 3: Explanation of time–energy mapping in high-harmonic generation.
Figure 4: Electron localization proved to be a useful observable in some of the early attosecond pump–probe experiments.

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  1. Institut Lumière Matière (ILM), CNRS, Université Lyon 1, 10 rue Ada Byron, Villeurbanne CEDEX, 69622, France

    Franck Lépine

  2. Max-Born Institute (MBI), Max-Born Strasse 2A, Berlin, 12489, Germany

    Misha Y. Ivanov & Marc J. J. Vrakking

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Lépine, F., Ivanov, M. & Vrakking, M. Attosecond molecular dynamics: fact or fiction?. Nature Photon 8, 195–204 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2014.25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2014.25

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