Subject：Quantum Dynamics and its Control with Strong Laser Fields
Speaker：Prof. Thomas Pfeifer
Emcee：Prof Jian Wu
Time：3:00pm, 4th Nov, 2018
Place：Science Building A814
Abstract：
Time-dependent motion of particles in small-scale systems such as atoms is induced in light-matter interactions when the system, initially in its ground state, becomes excited or ionized.The interaction of atoms with one or few photons of light is now relatively well understood (e.g. resonance spectroscopy, the photoelectric effect, etc.), and this understanding is applied in atomic clocks with ever-increasing precision.However, for strong fields of light interacting with matter, full understanding, let alone applications, are only in their beginnings.Here, I will discuss a few examples from our studies of light-matter interactions in strong visible to extreme-ultraviolet fields, the latter delivered by free-electron lasers.XUV-Pump/XUV-probe experiments shed light on the dynamics of electron transfer and structural rearrangements of molecules, by ion-coincidence and x-ray diffractive imaging. A focus of our recent work has been the quantum dynamics of bound excited states, driven by strong laser fields.Here, we find that the shape of resonances in absorption spectra allows to extract state-resolved quantum-mechanical phase modifications as a function of time and intensity.Not only does this allow the reconstruction of bound (two-)electron motion, it also opens the route to direct control of time-dependent electronic wavefunctions in atoms and molecules.A far field goal could be the steering of chemical reactions by direct laser control of electronic states.
About the Speaker:
Prof. Dr., Thomas Pfeifer
Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik
Division Quantum Dynamics and Control
University Education and Academic Degrees
2004 Promotion in Physics to Dr. rer. nat., University of Würzburg
2000 Master (M.A.) in Physics, University of Texas, Austin
1999 – 2000 Studies of Physics, University of Texas, Austin
1996 – 1999 Studies of Physics, University of Würzbur
Academic Positions
2014 – Professor, University of Heidelberg
2014 – Director, MPI for Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg
2009 – 2014 Independent Max-Planck Research Group Leader
MPI for Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg
2005 – 2008 Postdoctoral Associate and AvH Feodor-Lynen Fellow, University of
California, Berkeley
