ABSTRACT: Many recent experiments have used shaped ultrafast laser pulses to control molecular dynamics. In cases where the molecular Hamiltonian is not known well enough to design optimal control fields a priori, learning algorithms have been used to discover them experimentally. While learning algorithms have proven to be very effective at finding optimal pulse shapes for control, they generally do not provide any insight into the physical mechanisms underlying control. This talk will discuss a series of learning control experiments on a family of similar molecules for which we use molecular structure calculations and pump-probe spectroscopy to decipher the control mechanism. Future directions and possibilities will be discussed.

Contact: Luis Orozco