Intense laser ionization of transiently aligned CO

We have measured the ionization rate for CO molecules exposed to intense 30 fsec 780 nm laser pulses as a function of the angle between the molecular and laser polarization axes. Nonionizing, 70 fsec laser pulses are used to coherently prepare the molecules, preferentially aligning them for the strong-field ionization experiments. We find a 2:1 ionization-rate ratio for molecules aligned parallel or perpendicular to the ionizing field.