Optical deflection of molecules

hen intense light interacts with a molecule it induces a force proportional to the gradient of the Stark shift. We use this nonresonant force to deflect I\u2082 and CS\u2082 molecules. We trace the direction of molecules in a molecular beam, showing that the molecules that pass near the center of a 1.06-\u3bcm or 10.6-\u3bcm laser beam will focus. We predict that Stark shifts on the order of 50 meV can be obtained for all small molecules and atoms while maintaining ionization rates below 10\u2076s\u207b\ub9. Among the devices that can be based on the nonresonant Stark shift are molecular accelerators and molecular quantum wires.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye