Multiphoton Dissociation of HeH+ below the He+(1s) + H(1s) Threshold

TL;DR

This paper investigates the strong-field dissociation dynamics of the simplest heteronuclear molecule, HeH+, using numerical simulations to identify laser conditions suitable for experimental observation.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed numerical analysis of HeH+ dissociation under strong laser fields across a range of wavelengths, highlighting its potential as a prototype system.

Findings

Identified laser regimes with measurable dissociation signals.

Calculated kinetic energy release spectra and momentum distributions.

Demonstrated the feasibility of experimental observation of HeH+ dissociation.

Abstract

We discuss the strong-field dynamics of HeH+, the simplest stable heteronuclear molecule, focusing on identifying a laser regime for which there is a sufficient dissociation signal for experimental measurement. We numerically solve the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation to obtain total dissociation probabilities, kinetic energy release spectra, and momentum distributions for wavelengths from 800 nm to 2400 nm. The suitability of this simple system as a prototype for understanding the strong-field nuclear dynamics of heteronuclear dissociation is discussed.