Rotational dynamics of an asymmetric-top molecule in parallel electric and nonresonant laser fields

We present a theoretical study of the rotational dynamics of asymmetric-top molecules in an electric field and a parallel nonresonant linearly polarized laser pulse. The time-dependent Schrodinger equation is solved within the rigid rotor approximation. Using the benzonitrile molecule as a prototype, we investigate the field-dressed dynamics for experimentally accessible field configurations and compare these results to the adiabatic predictions. We show that for an asymmetric-top molecule in parallel fields, the formation of the pendular doublets and the avoided crossings between neighboring levels are the two main sources of nonadiabatic effects. We also provide the field parameters under which the adiabatic dynamics would be achieved.