Effect of nuclear mass on carrier-envelope-phase-controlled electron localization in disassociating molecules

Abstract

We explore the effect of nuclear mass on the laser-driven electron localization process. We dissociate a mixed H2 and D2 target with intense, carrier-envelope-phase (CEP) stable 6 fs laser pulses and detect the products in a reaction microscope. We observe a very strong CEP-dependent asymmetry in proton and deuteron emission for low dissociation energy channels. This asymmetry is stronger for H2 than for D2. We also observe a large CEP offset between the asymmetry spectra for H2 and D2. Our theoretical simulations, based on a one-dimensional two-channel model, agree very well with the asymmetry spectra, but fail to account properly for the phase difference between the two isotopes.