Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wang, Kevin, MacPhail-Bartley, Ian, Peters, Cameron E., Milner, Valery
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.20568
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866915851531190272
author Wang, Kevin
MacPhail-Bartley, Ian
Peters, Cameron E.
Milner, Valery
author_facet Wang, Kevin
MacPhail-Bartley, Ian
Peters, Cameron E.
Milner, Valery
contents We outline the design and characterization of a laser pulse shaper, which creates an ``ultraslow optical centrifuge'' - a linearly polarized field whose polarization vector rotates with arbitrarily low angular acceleration. By directly recording this rotation in time with nonlinear cross-correlation, we demonstrate the tunability of such centrifuge (both in terms of its initial and its final rotational frequencies) in the range of accelerations which are three orders of magnitude lower than those available with a conventional centrifuge design. We showcase the functionality of the ultraslow centrifuge by spinning CS$_2$ molecules in a molecular jet. Utilizing the extremely low angular acceleration to control molecular rotation inside viscous media is a promising application for this unique optical tool.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_20568
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Ultraslow optical centrifuge with arbitrarily low rotational acceleration
Wang, Kevin
MacPhail-Bartley, Ian
Peters, Cameron E.
Milner, Valery
Chemical Physics
Optics
We outline the design and characterization of a laser pulse shaper, which creates an ``ultraslow optical centrifuge'' - a linearly polarized field whose polarization vector rotates with arbitrarily low angular acceleration. By directly recording this rotation in time with nonlinear cross-correlation, we demonstrate the tunability of such centrifuge (both in terms of its initial and its final rotational frequencies) in the range of accelerations which are three orders of magnitude lower than those available with a conventional centrifuge design. We showcase the functionality of the ultraslow centrifuge by spinning CS$_2$ molecules in a molecular jet. Utilizing the extremely low angular acceleration to control molecular rotation inside viscous media is a promising application for this unique optical tool.
title Ultraslow optical centrifuge with arbitrarily low rotational acceleration
topic Chemical Physics
Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.20568