Coherent Control of Collisional Events: Bimolecular Reactive Scattering.

Paul Brumer Chemical Physics Theory Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5S3H6 (Received 6 September 1995) Laser control over reactive and nonreactive collisional events of the B 1 C ! F 1 G type is shown possible via preparation of a superposition of degenerate initial states which interfere with one another. Required, however, is a controlled superposition of continuum states comprised of correlated products of internal B, C states and plane waves. We show that this can be achieved by the controlled preparation of a B superposition state followed by a shift in the kinetic energy of the superposition state components, guaranteeing the required degeneracy of terms in the superposition state and a reduction in center of mass related oscillations. [S0031-9007(96)01146-5]