Anderson localisation in laser kicked molecules

TL;DR

This paper proposes a feasible method using femtosecond laser pulses to observe dynamical Anderson localisation in molecules, analyzing experimental conditions and potential indicators for detection.

Contribution

It introduces a practical experimental setup for observing Anderson localisation in molecules via laser-induced rotational excitation, considering real-world limitations.

Findings

Current femtosecond laser technology is sufficient for the experiment.

Several measurable observables can indicate Anderson localisation.

Experimental limitations like noise and thermal effects are analyzed.

Abstract

The paper explores the prospects of observing the phenomenon of dynamical Anderson localisation via non-resonant Raman-type rotational excitation of molecules by periodic trains of short laser pulses. We define conditions for such an experiment, and show that current femtosecond technology used for non-adiabatic laser alignment of linear molecules is sufficient for this task. Several observables which can serve as indicator for Anderson localisation are suggested for measurement, and the influence of experimental limitations imposed by laser intensity noise, finite pulse duration, limited number of pulses in a train, and thermal effects is analysed.