Laser control of a proton transfer reaction in a small model system embedded in a condensed phase environment is investigated. The two--dimensional model comprises those features of the multi--dimensional potential energy surface of picolinici acid
N-oxides which are most relevant for the isomerization reaction. The  influence of the remaining intramolecular coordinates as well as of a possible environment is described by a spectral density within the reduced  density  matrix approach.  Different forms of the driving infrared laser pulse are explored putting emphasis on their capability for competing successfully with relaxation processes. The reaction dynamics is characterized by calculating the nonlinear optical response nonperturbatively in the driving field.

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