Initiating molecular charge migration with strong-field ionization

Charge migration, the coherent motion of electrons and holes in molecules, is currently a very active field of research in ultrafast science. A grand challenge for such studies pertains to how one can initiate migration motions with enough contrast and duration that they could be observed. In this presentation, I will discuss theoretical investigations showing how strong-field ionization of functionalized conjugated organic systems can do just that, leading to clear and sustained migrations dynamics throughout the molecule that long outlast the end of the ionizing laser field.