Ellipticity dependence of anticorrelation in the nonsequential double ionization of Ar.

Within the framework of the improved quantitative rescattering (QRS) model, we simulate the correlated two-electron momentum distributions (CMDs) for nonsequential double ionization (NSDI) of Ar by elliptically polarized laser pulses with a wavelength of 788 nm at an intensity of 0.7 × 10 W/cm for the ellipticities ranging from 0 to 0.3.

Nonsequential double ionization of Ar in near-single-cycle laser pulses.

Using the improved quantitative rescattering (QRS) model, we simulate the correlated two-electron momentum distributions (CMD) for nonsequential double ionization (NSDI) of Ar by near-single-cycle laser pulses with a wavelength of 750 nm at an intensity of 2.8 × 10 W/cm. With the accurate cross sections obtained from fully quantum mechanical calculations for both electron impact excitation and electron impact ionization of Ar, we unambiguously identify the contributions from recollision direct ionization (RDI) and recollision excitation with subsequent ionization (RESI).

Intensity dependence in nonsequential double ionization of helium.

Using the quantitative rescattering model, we simulate the correlated two-electron momentum distributions for nonsequential double ionization of helium by 800 nm laser pulses at intensities in the range of (2 - 15) × 10 W/cm. The experimentally observed V-shaped structure at high intensities [A. Rudenko et al.

Unraveling nonadiabatic ionization and Coulomb potential effect in strong-field photoelectron holography.

Strong field photoelectron holography has been proposed as a means for interrogating the spatial and temporal information of electrons and ions in a dynamic system. After ionization, part of the electron wave packet may directly go to the detector (the reference wave), while another part may be driven back and scatters off the ion(the signal wave). The interference hologram of the two waves may be used to extract target information embedded in the collision process.

Molecular photoelectron holography with circularly polarized laser pulses.

We investigate the photoelectron momentum distribution of molecular-ion H2+driven by ultrashort intense circularly polarized laser pulses. Both numerical solutions of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE) and a quasiclassical model indicate that the photoelectron holography (PH) with circularly polarized pulses can occur in molecule. It is demonstrated that the interference between the direct electron wave and rescattered electron wave from one core to its neighboring core induces the PH.

Laser-induced electron diffraction for probing rare gas atoms.

Recently, using midinfrared laser-induced electron diffraction (LIED), snapshots of a vibrating diatomic molecule on a femtosecond time scale have been captured [C.I. Blaga et al.

Phase-dependent above-barrier ionization of excited-state electrons.

The carrier-envelope phase (CEP)-dependent above-barrier ionization (ABI) has been investigated in order to probe the bound-state electron dynamics. It is found that when the system is initially prepared in the excited state, the ionization yield asymmetry between left and right sides can occur both in low-energy and high-energy parts of the photoelectron spectra. Moreover, in electron momentum map, a new interference effect along the direction perpendicular to the laser polarization is found.

Quantum theory of recollisional (e, 2e) process in strong field nonsequential double ionization of helium.

Based on the full quantal recollision model and field-free electron impact ionization theory, we calculate the correlated momentum spectra of the two outgoing electrons in strong field nonsequential double ionization (NSDI) of helium to compare with recent experiments. By analyzing the relative strength of binary versus recoil collisions exhibited in the photoelectron spectra, we confirm that the observed fingerlike structure in the experiment is a consequence of the Coulomb interaction between the two emitted electrons. Our result supports the recollision mechanism of strong field NSDI at the most fundamental level.

Accurate retrieval of target structures and laser parameters of few-cycle pulses from photoelectron momentum spectra.

We illustrate a new method of analyzing three-dimensional momentum images of high-energy photoelectrons generated by intense phase-stabilized few-cycle laser pulses. Using photoelectron momentum spectra that were obtained by velocity-map imaging of above-threshold ionization of xenon and argon targets, we show that the absolute carrier-envelope phase, the laser peak intensity, and pulse duration can be accurately determined simultaneously (with an error of a few percent). We also show that the target structure, in the form of electron-target ion elastic differential cross sections, can be retrieved over a range of energies.

Accurate retrieval of structural information from laser-induced photoelectron and high-order harmonic spectra by few-cycle laser pulses.

By analyzing accurate theoretical results from solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation of atoms in few-cycle laser pulses, we established the general conclusion that laser-generated high-energy electron momentum spectra and high-order harmonic spectra can be used to extract accurate differential elastic scattering and photo-recombination cross sections of the target ion with free electrons, respectively. Since both electron scattering and photoionization (the inverse of photo-recombination) are the conventional means for interrogating the structure of atoms and molecules, this result implies that existing few-cycle infrared lasers can be implemented for ultrafast imaging of transient molecules with temporal resolution of a few femtoseconds.

Unexpected higher-order effects in charged particle impact ionization at high energies.

Most of the experimental and theoretical studies of electron-impact ionization of atoms, referred to as (e, 2e), have concentrated on the scattering plane. The assumption has been that all the important physical effects will be observable in the scattering plane. However, very recently it has been shown that, for C6+-helium ionization, experiment and theory are in nice agreement in the scattering plane and in very bad agreement out of the scattering plane.