Ray tracing of a molecular lens with velocity map imaging

Summary form only given. We demonstrate the experimental tracing of a molecular beam passing through a cylindrical lens made of a non-resonant laser pulse. The beam of CS/sub 2/ molecules was deflected by a focused laser pulse (1064 nm, 7 ns, peak intensity I/sub 0//spl sim/10/sup 12/ W/cm/sup 2/). We probed the deflection of molecular beam directly by using the velocity map imaging technique. A resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization process was used for the detection of neutral molecules.