Energy deposition and chemical reactions in gases stimulated by interaction with pulsed optical lattices

The direct simulation Monte Carlo method is used to examine the temporal change in the molecular velocity distribution function affected by non-resonant dipole forces induced by a strong optical potential. The dipole forces cause strong perturbations in molecular velocities and gas densities inside the optical lattice. The possibility of methane decomposition and formation of fullerene precursors in an optical cavity producing multiple sequential optical lattices is studied. It is found that although the methane quickly decomposes into C₂H₄ and H₂, further decomposition is unlikely due to relatively slow reaction rates that compete with a fast diffusion process.