  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.
