Coherent Electronic Wave Packet Motion in C-60 Controlled by the Waveform and Polarization of Few-Cycle Laser Fields

Strong laser fields can be used to trigger an ultrafast molecular response that involves electronic excitation and ionization dynamics. Here, we report on the experimental control of the spatial localization of the electronic excitation in the C-60 fullerene exerted by an intense few-cycle (4 fs) pulse at 720 nm. The control is achieved by tailoring the carrier-envelope phase and the polarization of the laser pulse. We find that the maxima and minima of the photoemission-asymmetry parameter along the laser-polarization axis are synchronized with the localization of the coherent electronic wave packet at around the time of ionization.open113033sciescopu

Double K-shell ionization of Al induced by photon and electron impact

This paper reports on the investigation of the double K-shell ionization of metallic aluminum induced by photon and electron impact. The experimental method consisted to measure the Kα hypersatellite spectra resulting from the radiative decay of double 1s vacancy states by means of high-resolution x-ray spectroscopy using a Bragg-type von Hamos crystal spectrometer. Measurements of the photon-induced spectra were carried out at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France, while those of the electron-induced spectra were performed at the University of Fribourg. The double 1s ionization probabilities and cross sections were derived from the Kα₂ hypersatellite to diagram line intensity ratios for photon beam energies ranging between 3.1 and 5.5 keV and for different incident electron-beam energies ranging between 4 and 20 keV. The energy and linewidth of the Kα₂ hypersatellite x-ray line were also determined for which consistent results were obtained from the photon and electron-beam measurements

Thick-lens velocity-map imaging spectrometer with high resolution for high-energy charged particles

A novel design for a velocity-map imaging (VMI) spectrometer with high resolution over a wide energy range surpassing a standard VMI design is reported. The main difference to a standard three-electrode VMI is the spatial extension of the applied field using 11 electrodes forming a thick-lens. This permits measurements of charged particles with higher energies while achieving excellent resolving power over a wide range of energies. Using SIMION simulations, the thick-lens VMI is compared to a standard design for up to 360 eV electrons. The simulations also show that the new spectrometer design is suited for charged-particle detection with up to 1 keV using a repeller-electrode voltage of -30 kV. The experimental performance is tested by laser-induced ionization of rare gases producing electrons up to about 70 eV. The thick-lens VMI is useful for a wide variety of studies on atoms, molecules and nanoparticles in intense laser fields and high-photon-energy fields from high-harmonic-generation or free-electron lasers.X111210sciescopu

High-Resolution Momentum Imaging—From Stern’s Molecular Beam Method to the COLTRIMS Reaction Microscope

Multi-particle momentum imaging experiments are now capable of providing detailed information on the properties and the dynamics of quantum systems in Atomic, Molecular and Photon (AMO) physics. Historically, Otto Stern can be considered the pioneer of high-resolution momentum measurements of particles moving in a vacuum and he was the first to obtain sub-atomic unit (a.u.) momentum resolution (Schmidt-Böcking et al. in The precision limits in a single-event quantum measurement of electron momentum and position, these proceedings [1]). A major contribution to modern experimental atomic and molecular physics was his so-called molecular beam method [2], which Stern developed and employed in his experiments. With this method he discovered several fundamental properties of atoms, molecules and nuclei [2, 3]. As corresponding particle detection techniques were lacking during his time, he was only able to observe the averaged footprints of large particle ensembles. Today it is routinely possible to measure the momenta of single particles, because of the tremendous progress in single particle detection and data acquisition electronics. A "state-of-the-art" COLTRIMS reaction microscope [4-11] can measure, for example, the momenta of several particles ejected in the same quantum process in coincidence with sub-a.u. momentum resolution. Such setups can be used to visualize the dynamics of quantum reactions and image the entangled motion of electrons inside atoms and molecules. This review will briefly summarize Stern's work and then present in longer detail the historic steps of the development of the COLTRIMS reaction microscope. Furthermore, some benchmark results are shown which initially paved the way for a broad acceptance of the COLTRIMS approach. Finally, a small selection of milestone work is presented which has been performed during the last two decades