207 research outputs found
Alignment dependent enhancement of the photo-electron cutoff for multi-photon ionization of molecules
The multiphoton ionization rate of molecules depends on the alignment of the
molecular axis with respect to the ionizing laser polarization. By studying
molecular frame photo-electron angular distributions from N, O and
benzene, we illustrate how the angle-dependent ionization rate affects the
photo-electron cutoff energy. We find alignment can enhance the high energy
cutoff of the photo-electron spectrum when probing along a nodal plane or when
ionization is otherwise suppressed. This is supported by calculations using a
tunneling model with a single ion state.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Single-shot carrier-envelope-phase measurement in ambient air
The ability to measure and control the carrier envelope phase (CEP) of
few-cycle laser pulses is of paramount importance for both frequency metrology
and attosecond science. Here, we present a phase meter relying on the
CEP-dependent photocurrents induced by circularly polarized few-cycle pulses
focused between electrodes in ambient air. The new device facilitates compact
single-shot, CEP measurements under ambient conditions and promises CEP tagging
at repetition rates orders of magnitude higher than most conventional CEP
detection schemes as well as straightforward implementation at longer
wavelengths
Momentum space tomographic imaging of photoelectrons
We apply tomography, a general method for reconstructing 3-D distributions
from multiple projections, to reconstruct the momentum distribution of
electrons produced via strong field photoionization. The projections are
obtained by rotating the electron distribution via the polarization of the
ionizing laser beam and recording a momentum spectrum at each angle with a 2-D
velocity map imaging spectrometer. For linearly polarized light the tomographic
reconstruction agrees with the distribution obtained using an Abel inversion.
Electron tomography, which can be applied to any polarization, will simplify
the technology of electron imaging. The method can be directly generalized to
other charged particles.Comment: Accepted by J. Phys.
Spatiotemporal imaging of valence electron motion
Electron motion on the (sub-)femtosecond time scale constitutes the fastest response in many natural phenomena such as light-induced phase transitions and chemical reactions. Whereas static electron densities in single molecules can be imaged in real space using scanning tunnelling and atomic force microscopy, probing real-time electron motion inside molecules requires ultrafast laser pulses. Here, we demonstrate an all-optical approach to imaging an ultrafast valence electron wave packet in real time with a time-resolution of a few femtoseconds. We employ a pump-probe-deflect scheme that allows us to prepare an ultrafast wave packet via strong-field ionization and directly image the resulting charge oscillations in the residual ion. This approach extends and overcomes limitations in laser-induced orbital imaging and may enable the real-time imaging of electron dynamics following photoionization such as charge migration and charge transfer processes
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Signatures of Light-Induced Potential Energy Surfaces in H2+
Using theory and Cold Target Recoil Ion Momentum Spectroscopy we find signatures of light-induced molecular potential energy surfaces in the 3-dimensional proton momentum distributions of dissociating H+2. © 2020 Journal of Physics: Conference Series. All rights reserved
Carbon K-shell Photo Ionization of CO: Molecular frame angular Distributions of normal and conjugate shakeup Satellites
We have measured the molecular frame angular distributions of photoelectrons
emitted from the Carbon K shell of fixed-in-space CO molecules for the case of
simultaneous excitation of the remaining molecular ion. Normal and conjugate
shake up states are observed. Photo electrons belonging to normal \Sigma
-satellite lines show an angular distribution resembling that observed for the
main photoline at the same electron energy. Surprisingly a similar shape is
found for conjugate shake up states with \Pi -symmetry. In our data we identify
shake rather than electron scattering (PEVE) as the mechanism producing the
conjugate lines. The angular distributions clearly show the presence of a
\Sigma -shape resonance for all of the satellite lines.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure
Streaking strong-field double ionization
Double ionization in intense laser fields can comprise electron correlations which manifest in the nonindependent emission of two electrons from an atom or molecule. However, experimental methods that directly access the electron emission times have been scarce. Here we explore the application of an all-optical streaking technique to strong-field double ionization, both theoretically and experimentally. We show that both sequential and nonsequential double-ionization processes lead to streaking delays that are distinct from each other and single ionization. Moreover, coincidence detection of ions and electrons provides access to the emission time difference, which is encoded in the two-electron momentum distributions. The experimental data agree very well with simulations of sequential double ionization. We further test and discuss the application of this method to nonsequential double ionization, which is strongly affected by the presence of the streaking field
Partitioning of the linear photon momentum in multiphoton ionization
The balance of the linear photon momentum in multiphoton ionization is
studied experimentally. In the experiment argon and neon atoms are singly
ionized by circularly polarized laser pulses with a wavelength of 800 nm and
1400 nm in the intensity range of 10^{14} - 10^{15} W/cm^2. The photoelectrons
are measured using velocity map imaging. We find that the photoelectrons carry
linear momentum corresponding to the photons absorbed above the field free
ionization threshold. Our finding has implications for concurrent models of the
generation of terahertz radiation in filaments.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Probing multiphoton light-induced molecular potentials
The strong coupling between intense laser fields and valence electrons in molecules causes distortions of the potential energy hypersurfaces which determine the motion of the nuclei and influence possible reaction pathways. The coupling strength varies with the angle between the light electric field and valence orbital, and thereby adds another dimension to the effective molecular potential energy surface, leading to the emergence of light-induced conical intersections. Here, we demonstrate that multiphoton couplings can give rise to complex light-induced potential energy surfaces that govern molecular behavior. In the laser-induced dissociation of H2+, the simplest of molecules, we measure a strongly modulated angular distribution of protons which has escaped prior observation. Using two-color Floquet theory, we show that the modulations result from ultrafast dynamics on light-induced molecular potentials. These potentials are shaped by the amplitude, duration and phase of the dressing fields, allowing for manipulating the dissociation dynamics of small molecules
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