Manipulating the torsion of molecules by strong laser pulses
  A proof-of-principle experiment is reported, where torsional motion of a molecule, consisting of a pair of phenyl rings, is induced by strong laser pulses. A nanosecond laser pulse spatially aligns the carbon-carbon bond axis, connecting the two phenyl rings, allowing a perpendicularly polarized, intense femtosecond pulse to initiate torsional motion accompanied by an overall rotation about the fixed axis. The induced motion is monitored by femtosecond time-resolved Coulomb explosion imaging. Our theoretical analysis accounts for and generalizes the experimental findings. 
C.B. Madsen, L.B. Madsen, S.S. Viftrup, M. P. Johansson, T.B. Poulsen,   L. Holmegaard, V. Kumarappan, K.A. Jorgensen, H. St...