Itzik Ben-Itzhak
Professor
Address:	106A Cardwell Hall
Phone:	(785) 532-1636
E-mail:	ibi@phys.ksu.edu
Group Webpage
Ph.D. The Technion, Haifa, Israel 1986

Research Area

Experimental Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics

We are investigating the interaction of intense ultrashort laser pulses with a few keV molecular-ion beams using coincidence 3D-imaging techniques. These kinematically complete measurements provide detailed information on the dissociation and ionization processes of interest, and their dependence on the laser pulse parameters. We are also studying the dynamics of molecular processes induced by a collision between the projectile molecular ion and a target atom employing similar particle imaging methods. In the past we have studied the decay rate of metastable exotic molecular ions, such as HeH²⁺, and Ion-molecule collisions.

Research Support

• Department of Energy

Recent Selected Publications

• Preference for breaking the O-H bond over the O-D bond following HDO ionization by fast ions, A.M. Sayler, M. Leonard, K.D. Carnes, R. Cabrera-Trujillo, B.D. Esry, I. Ben-Itzhak, J. Phys. B 39, 1701 (2006).
• Above threshold Coulomb explosion of molecules in intense laser pulses, B.D. Esry, A.M. Sayler, P.Q. Wang, K.D. Carnes, and I. Ben-Itzhak, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 013003 (2006); and Virtual Journal of Ultrafast Science 5 (August 2006), at http://www.vjultrafast.org.
• Dissociation of H₂⁺ in intense femtosecond laser fields studied by coincidence three-dimensional momentum imaging”, P.Q. Wang, A.M. Sayler, K.D. Carnes, J.F. Xia, M.A. Smith, B.D. Esry, and I. Ben-Itzhak, Phys. Rev. A 74, 043411 (2006); and Virtual Journal of Ultrafast Science 5 (November 2006), at http://www.vjultrafast.org.
• Single ionization of hydrogen molecules by fast protons as a function of the molecular alignment, N.G. Johnson, R.N. Mello, M.E. Lundy, J. Kapplinger, E. Parke, K.D. Carnes, I. Ben-Itzhak, and E. Wells, Phys. Rev. A 72, 052711 (2005).
• Highlighting the angular dependence of bond softening and bond hardening of H₂⁺ in an ultrashort intense laser pulse, P.Q. Wang, A.M. Sayler, K.D. Carnes, J.F. Xia, M.A. Smith, B.D. Esry, and I. Ben-Itzhak, J. Phys. B 38, L251 (2005). Selected for inclusion in IOP Select and as a Highlight of 2005.
• Dissociation and Ionization of H₂⁺ by Ultrashort Intense Laser Pulses Probed by Coincidence 3D Momentum Imaging, I. Ben-Itzhak, P.Q. Wang, J.F. Xia, A.M. Sayler, M.A. Smith, K.D. Carnes, and B.D. Esry, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 073002 (2005); and Virtual Journal of Ultrafast Science 4 (September 2005), at http://www.vjultrafast.org.