Breakup of OD⁺ molecular ions in a strong laser field*

We investigate the dissociation and ionization processes of OD⁺ molecular ions in intense ultrashort laser pulses using coincidence three-dimensional momentum imaging of a fast (keV) ion beam. One of the main goals is to investigate the dissociation dynamics near threshold by measuring the competition (branching ratio) between the lowest two dissociation channels O⁺(⁴S) + D(¹S) and O(³P) + D⁺. The intensity and the wavelength dependence of these channels is studied, by measuring the kinetic energy release and angular distributions, to unravel the dissociation pathways. Dissociative ionization of OD⁺, i.e., OD⁺ → O⁺ + D⁺ + e^- , will also be discussed.