Coulomb-corrected quantum interference in above-threshold ionization: Working towards multi-trajectory electron holography

Using the recently developed Coulomb Quantum Orbit Strong-Field Approximation (CQSFA), we perform a systematic analysis of several features encountered in above-threshold ionization (ATI) photoelectron angle-resolved distributions (PADs), such as side lobes, and intra- and intercycle interference patterns. The latter include not only the well-known intra-cycle rings and the near-threshold fan-shaped structure, but also previously overlooked patterns. We provide a direct account of how the Coulomb potential distorts different types of interfering trajectories and changes the corresponding phase differences, and show that these patterns may be viewed as generalized holographic structures formed by up to three types of trajectories. We also derive analytical interference conditions and estimates valid in the presence or absence of the residual potential, and assess the range of validity of Coulomb-corrected interference conditions provided in the literature.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures. Some figures have been compressed in order to comply with the arXiv requirement

Analytic quantum-interference conditions in Coulomb corrected photoelectron holography

We provide approximate analytic expressions for above-threshold ionization (ATI) transition probabilities and photoelectron angular distributions. These analytic expressions are more general than those existing in the literature and include the residual binding potential in the electron continuum propagation. They successfully reproduce the ATI side lobes and specific holographic structures such as the near-threshold fan-shaped pattern and the spider-like structure that extends up to relatively high photoelectron energies. We compare such expressions with the Coulomb quantum orbit strong-field approximation (CQSFA) and the full solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for different driving-field frequencies and intensities, and provide an in-depth analysis of the physical mechanisms behind specific holographic structures. Our results shed additional light on what aspects of the CQSFA must be prioritized in order to obtain the key holographic features, and highlight the importance of forward scattered trajectories. Furthermore, we find that the holographic patterns change considerably for different field parameters, even if the Keldysh parameter is kept roughly the same