Giuseppe Castiglia

Nuclear molecular dynamics investigated by using high-order harmonic generation spectra

In this paper we show how it is possible to investigate the nuclear dynamics of simple molecular ions and molecules by looking at the high-order harmonic generation spectra they emit in the presence of a laser field. In particular we investigate two different effects: the presence of sidebands in the emitted spectra around the usual odd harmonics and an isotopic effect which affects the height of the plateau lines. We further study the advantages and the limitations of the semiclassical approach.

Classical chaos and harmonic generation in laser driven nanorings

A quantum ring driven by an intense laser field emits light in the form of high-harmonic radiation resulting from the strong acceleration experienced by the active electrons forced to move on a curved trajectory. The spectrum of the emitted light is rich and strongly dependent on the parameters of the problem. In order to investigate the physical origin of such variability, we focus on the seemingly simple problem of a laser-driven charge constrained to a ring from a classical standpoint. As it turns out, the dynamics of such a classical electron is governed by a nonlinear equation which results into a chaotic motion—by nature depending on the initial conditions in an unpredictable way. Our results indicate that the quantum harmonic spectra are reminiscent of the classical counterpart and suggest the existence of a line connecting the quantum and classical realms.

Laser driven structured quantum rings

In this work we study harmonic emission from structured quantum rings (SQRs). In SQRs, electrons trapped in two-dimensional structures are further confined by an external potential composed of N scattering centers arranged on a circle. We build a suitable one-dimensional model Hamiltonian describing this class of systems and analytically solve the associated Schodinger equation. We find that the solution can be expressed in terms of Mathieu functions and focus on the specific case of N = 6. By exactly solving the time-dependent Schodinger equation, we then show how the harmonic response to linearly polarized lasers strongly depends on the ring physical parameters. The results illustrate how the additional degrees of freedom introduced by these parameters provide important handles to control the emitted spectrum that in some cases extends into the XUV region.

Polarization of high harmonic generated spectra in ion

Abstract We study the polarization of the harmonics generated by a homonuclear diatomic molecule in the presence of an intense, linearly polarized laser field. The polarization parameters of the emitted radiation are investigated as a function of the angle between the laser electric field and the molecular axis. The calculations are carried out by assuming a single active electron model with fixed nuclei; a two-dimensional model of the system is used. We find a different dependence of the parameters of the harmonics vs in the first or second half of the emitted spectrum. In particular, the differences are accentuated for , while for higher angles, until the perpendicular orientation, almost all the harmonics present similar characteristics.

Control of the high harmonic generation spectra by changing the molecule-laser field relative orientation

The time dependent Schrodinger equation of a homonuclear diatomic molecule in the presence of a linearly polarized laser field is numerically solved by means of a split-operator parallel code. The calculations are carried out by assuming a single active electron model with fixed nuclei; a simplified two-dimensional model of the system is used. The highly nonlinear response of the electron wave function to the laser electric field stimulates the molecule to emit electromagnetic radiation consisting of a wide plateau of odd harmonics of the laser field. It is shown that the emitted spectrum can be finely controlled by changing the angle between the laser electric field and the molecular axis; this can be used to achieve a tunable source of high frequency radiation.

Bremsstrahlung from a repulsive potential: attosecond pulse generation

The collision of an electron against a repulsive potential in the presence of a laser field is investigated. It is found that a sufficiently strong laser field forces the electron to remain in the neighbourhood of the repulsive potential causing bremsstrahlung. By appropriately filtering the emitted signal, an electron in the presence of a repulsive potential is capable of generating attosecond pulses.

Control of Electron Motion in a Molecular Ion: Dynamical Creation of a Permanent Electric Dipole

The dynamics of a diatomic one-dimensional homonuclear molecule driven by a two-laser field is investigated beyond the usual fixed nuclei approximation. The dynamics of the nuclei is treated by means of Newton equations of motion; the full quantum description is used for the single active electron. The first laser pulse (pump) excites vibrations of the nuclei, while the second very short pulse (probe) has the role of confining the electron around one of the nuclei. We show how to use the radiation scattered in these conditions by the molecule to achieve real-time control of the molecular dynamics.

The dynamics of the electron in a homonuclear driven molecular ion

Abstract The radiation diffused by a one-dimensional homonuclear molecular ion driven by a laser field is studied as a function of the time. When the photon energy is resonant with the energy gap between the ground and the first excited state, the electronic probability density is seen to undergo slow and deep oscillations between the two nuclei. Synchronous to such oscillations, deep modulations of the emitted power are observed. The period of oscillation is of the order of 10 optical cycles. Detection of the variation in the intensity of the emitted electromagnetic spectrum therefore brings information on the position of the electron in the molecule.

High Harmonics Generation from structured nanorings

In this work we study the radiation diffused by a fictitious structured nanoring driven by an intense laser field. In our model we consider an electron moving through a cosine-shape potential. The results show that the ring, under particular conditions, emits a wide spectrum of harmonics.

The influence of the quantum nature of nuclei in high harmonic generation from H+2-like molecular ions

We study the full quantum dynamics of a simple molecular ion driven by an intense laser field. In particular we show that the quantum nature of the nuclear dynamics affects the emitted high harmonic generation (HHG) spectra, strongly reshaping the plateau region. In fact, it is evident that the characteristic flat trend is transformed into a descending trend, with the lower harmonics being two orders of magnitude more intense than the higher harmonics. We show that this effect is more pronounced in the lighter isotopic species of H2+ molecular ions and we also demonstrate that in this case the contribution to HHG from the antibonding electronic energetic surface is of the same order of magnitude as that from the bonding state.