Dissociation Dynamics ofH2+in Intense Laser Fields: Investigation of Photofragments from Single Vibrational Levels

We present a photodissociation experiment on ${\mathrm{H}}_2^{+}$ with ultrashort laser pulses ( $\ge 130\mathrm{fs}$) at peak intensities of $\le 1.5\times {10}^{14}\mathrm{W}/{\mathrm{cm}}^2$. Since in an ion beam setup ${\mathrm{H}}_2^{+}$ is produced in a discharge source spatially separated from the light interaction zone interference with neutral ${\mathrm{H}}_2$ can be excluded in the interpretation. As the beam setup allows a high energy resolution of photofragments, effects predicted by the light induced potential theory can be tested in detail. The one-photon trapping effect was detected and the angular distributions of fragments from single vibrational levels were measured. Fragment energy spectra deviate strongly from those obtained by experiments on ${\mathrm{H}}_2$.