SUPERDRESSED H-2(+) AND H-3(2+) MOLECULAR-IONS IN INTENSE, HIGH-FREQUENCY LASER FIELDS

We study the radiative distortion of the lowest two potential surfaces of H2+ and H32+ molecular ions in a superintense (I1016 W/cm2), high-frequency, linearly polarized laser field, using the space-translation or acceleration representation of laser-matter interaction. The electron clouds undergo field-induced redistribution in the molecular ions due to the presence of field-induced dichotomous dressed Coulomb potentials. Such super-field-dressed systems have a greater tendency to transfer electronic charge into the region between the nuclei and hence become more stable than the field-free ones. For example, at the equilibrium nuclear separation the dissociation energy of the superdressed H2+ is found to increase by about 20% compared with the field-free H2+. More dramatically, the lowest two surfaces of H32+ that are repulsive in zero field become attractive (bonding) in the presence of an intense, high-frequency field. The possibility of molecules becoming stabilized against both ionization and dissociation in superintense fields is discussed. © 1995 The American Physical Society.