Tunnel ionization of room-temperature D$_2$ in an ultrashort (12 femtosecond) near infra-red (800 nm) pump laser pulse excites a vibrational wavepacket in the D2+ ions; a rotational wavepacket is also excited in residual D2 molecules. Both wavepacket
types are collapsed a variable time later by an ultrashort probe pulse. We isolate the vibrational wavepacket and quantify its evolution dynamics through theoretical comparison. Requirements for quantum computation (initial coherence and quantum state retrieval) are studied using this well-defined (small number of initial states at room temperature, initial wavepacket spatially localized) single-electron molecular prototype by temporally stretching the pump and probe pulses.
A coherent superposition of rotational states in D$_2$ has been excited by nonresonant ultrafast (12 femtosecond) intense (2 $times$ 10$^{14}$ Wcm$^{-2}$) 800 nm laser pulses leading to impulsive dynamic alignment. Field-free evolution of this rotati
onal wavepacket has been mapped to high temporal resolution by a time-delayed pulse, initiating rapid double ionization, which is highly sensitive to the angle of orientation of the molecular axis with respect to the polarization direction, $theta$. The detailed fractional revivals of the neutral D$_2$ wavepacket as a function of $theta$ and evolution time have been observed and modelled theoretically.
