Altered reaction dynamics: lowered barriers and bound states induced by intense infrared laser fields

This Letter reports a study on the effect of the Stark shift for exchange reactions in intense infrared laser fields. It is shown for the H + H2 exchange reaction that such fields reduce the potential barrier, thus enhancing the reaction rate at low temperatures. Another interesting effect, caused by the change in molecular polarizability as reactants approach, is the creation of (laser-induced) potential minima along the reaction path.