The laser induced selective preparation of electronically excited molecules is investigated. Therefore, the control fields are determined from the dynamics of the system. By construction, the obtained pulses carry the signature of the electronic and nuclear motion. It is shown that an effective population transfer to different target states is possible. Time-dependent photoelectron spectra are calculated to illustrate that the achieved control yields can be measured directly.

• Received 11 February 2005

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.72.013404