1202.2698 (Uri Steinitz et al.)

Laser Induced Gas Vortices    [PDF]

Uri Steinitz, Yehiam Prior, Ilya Sh. Averbukh

Properly polarized and correctly timed femtosecond laser pulses have been
demonstrated to create rotational states with a preferred sense of rotation. We
show that due to conservation of angular momentum, collisional relaxation of
these unidirectionally rotating molecules leads to the generation of
macroscopic vortex flows in the gas. The emerging velocity field converges to a
self-similar Taylor vortex, and repeated laser excitations cause a continuous
stirring of the gas.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1202.2698