Wei-Chao Jiang

Enhanced asymmetry in few-cycle attosecond pulse ionization of He in the vicinity of autoionizing resonances

By solving the two-active-electron, time-dependent Schr¨ odinger equation in its full dimensionality, we investigate the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) dependence of single ionization of He to the He + (1s) state triggered by an intense few-cycle attosecond pulse with carrier frequency ! corresponding to the energy ¯! = 36eV. Effects of electron correlations are probed by comparing projections of the final state of the two-electron wave packet onto field-free highly correlated Jacobi matrix wave functions with projections onto uncorrelated Coulomb wave functions. Significant differences are found in the vicinity of autoionizing resonances. Owing to the broad bandwidths of our 115 and 230 as pulses and their high intensities (1-2PWcm 2 ), asymmetries are found in the differential probability for ionization of electrons parallel and antiparallel to the linear polarization axis of the laser pulse. These asymmetries stem from interference of the one- and two-photon ionization amplitudes for producing electrons with the same momentum along the linear polarization axis. Whereas these asymmetries generally decrease with increasing ionized electron

Double ionization of He by time-delayed attosecond pulses

As He is exposed to double attosecond pulses with a time delay, double ionization can proceed in several different pathways. Through ab initio simulations by the fully dimensional time-dependent Schrodinger equation, we find that interferences among different pathways in the sequential two-photon double ionization can lead to interesting grid-like patterns in the joint energy spectra of the two electrons. We show that not only these interference patterns, but also the total double ionization probability critically depends on the relative carrier–envelope phase (CEP) between the two attosecond pulses. Our findings are successfully explained by a model based on second-order time-dependent perturbation theory. The present study demonstrates the feasibility of CEP control of double ionization, and provides an alternative way to characterize the relative CEP of attosecond pulses.

Virtual Sequential Picture for Nonsequential Two-Photon Double Ionization of Helium.

By using a model based on the second-order time-dependent perturbation theory, we show that the nonsequential two-photon double ionization of He can be understood in a virtual sequential picture: to excite the final double continuum state |k_{1},k_{2}⟩ by absorbing two photons from the ground state |1s^{2},^{1}S_{0}⟩, the single continuum states |1s,k_{1}⟩ and |1s,k_{2}⟩ serve as the dominant intermediate states. This virtual sequential picture is verified by the perfect agreement of the total ionization cross section, respectively, calculated by this model and by the sophisticated numerical solution to the full-dimensional time-dependent Schrödinger equation. This model, without the consideration of the electron correlation in the final double continuum state, works well for a wide range of laser parameters extending from the nonsequential to the sequential regime. The present Letter demonstrates that the electron correlation in the final double continuum state is not important in evaluating the total cross section, while it is indispensable for an accurate computation of a triply differential cross section. In addition, the virtual sequential picture bridges the sequential and nonsequential two-photon double ionization and reveals connections and distinctions between them.

Attosecond streaking of Cohen-Fano interferences in the photoionization of H2+

We present a numerical ab-initio simulation of the time delay in the photoionization of the simplest diatomic molecule H + as observed by attosecond streaking. We show that the strong variation of the Eisenbud-WignerSmith time delay tEWS as a function of energy and emission angle becomes observable in the streaking time shift tS provided laser field induced components are accounted for. The strongly enhanced photoemission time shifts are traced to destructive Cohen-Fano (or two-center) interferences. Signatures of these interferences in the streaking trace are shown to be enhanced when the ionic fragments are detected in coincidence.

Two-photon double ionization of helium by chirped few-cycle attosecond pulses: From nonsequential to sequential regime

The two-photon double ionization (TPDI) dynamics of helium by chirped attosecond pulses are theoretically studied by solving the two-electron time-dependent Schrodinger equation in its full dimensions. We show that both the differential and the total double ionization probability can be significantly controlled by adjusting the chirp. The dependence of the TPDI on the chirp can be quite different for different photon energies, relying on the central photon energy being in the sequential region, nonsequential region, or translation region. The physics which lead to the chirp dependence for different photon energies are addressed. Present findings are well reproduced by a model based on the second-order time-dependent perturbation theory.