Stimulated Processes in a Half-collision

Selective photodissociation of diatomic molecules is used to prepare the separating species in a well defined quantum state with narrowly determined final kinetic energy of the particles. During the course of separation to products the repulsive potential is probed by a tunable dye laser, that is by induced absorption in case the dissociation proceeds on a potential leading to ground state products, or by induced emission or absorption for all other cases. The determination of interatomic potentials from the observed spectra is discussed.