Yueming Zhou

Classical simulations including electron correlations for sequential double ionization.

With a classical ensemble model that includes electron correlations during the whole ionization process, we investigate strong-field sequential double ionization of Ar by elliptically polarized pulses at the quantitative level. The experimentally observed intensity-dependent three-band or four-band structures in the ion momentum distributions are well reproduced with this classical model. More importantly, the experimentally measured ionization time of the second electrons by A. N. Pfeiffer et al. [Nature Phys. 7, 428 (2011)], which cannot be predicted by the standard independent-electron model, is quantitatively reproduced by this fully classical correlated model. The success of our work encourages classical descriptions and interpretations of the complex multielectron effects in strong-field ionization where nonperturbative quantum approaches are currently not feasible.

Asymmetric electron energy sharing in strong-field double ionization of helium

With the classical three-dimensional ensemble model, we have investigated the microscopic recollision dynamics in nonsequential double ionization of helium by 800-nm laser pulses at 2.0 PW/cm{sup 2}. We demonstrate that the asymmetric energy sharing between the two electrons at recollision plays a decisive role in forming the experimentally observed V-shaped structure in the correlated longitudinal electron momentum spectrum at the high laser intensity [Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 263003 (2007)]. This asymmetric energy-sharing recollision leaves footprints on the transverse electron momentum spectra, which provide insight into the attosecond three-body interactions.

Multiphoton Rabi oscillations of correlated electrons in strong-field nonsequential double ionization

With quantum calculations, we have investigated the multiphoton nonsequential double ionization of helium atoms in intense laser fields at ultraviolet wavelengths. Very surprisingly, we found a so-far unobserved double-circle structure in the correlated electron momentum spectra. The double-circle structure essentially reveals multiphoton Rabi oscillations of two electrons, which are strongly supported by the oscillating population of a certain doubly excited state and by the oscillating double ionization signals. This two-electron multiphoton Rabi effect provides a profound understanding of electronic correlations and complicated multiphoton phenomena and is expected to be a new tool for broad applications, such as quantum coherent control.

Controlling nonsequential double ionization via two-color few-cycle pulses.

Using the classical three-dimensional ensembles, we have demonstrated the controlling of dynamics in nonsequential double ionization (NSDI) of helium by two-color few-cycle pulses. By changing the relative phase of the two pulses, recollisions leading to NSDI can be restricted in a time interval of several hundreds attosecond nearly before the field extremum and as a result, the correlated electron momentum distribution exhibits a so-far unobserved narrow arc-like structure. This structure reveals a novel energy correlation between the two electrons from NSDI by two-color few-cycle pulses.

Complex sub-laser-cycle electron dynamics in strong-field nonsequential triple ionizaion

Using the full three-dimensional classical ensemble model, we have investigated nonsequential triple ionization (NSTI) of Ne by intense linearly polarized laser fields systematically. Trajectory back analysis enables us to identify the various NSTI channels at different intensities in an intuitive way. The momentum distributions of the triply ionized ions calculated by this model agree well with the experimental results over a wide range of laser intensities [J. Phys. B 41, 081006 (2008)]. With this classical model we achieve insight into the complex sub-laser-cycle dynamics of the correlated three electrons in NSTI.

Attosecond Probing of Nuclear Dynamics with Trajectory-Resolved High-Harmonic Spectroscopy

We report attosecond-scale probing of the laser-induced dynamics in molecules. We apply the method of high-harmonic spectroscopy, where laser-driven recolliding electrons on various trajectories record the motion of their parent ion. Based on the transient phase-matching mechanism of high-order harmonic generation, short and long trajectories contributing to the same harmonic order are distinguishable in both the spatial and frequency domains, giving rise to a one-to-one map between time and photon energy for each trajectory. The short and long trajectories in H_{2} and D_{2} are used simultaneously to retrieve the nuclear dynamics on the attosecond and ångström scale. Compared to using only short trajectories, this extends the temporal range of the measurement to one optical cycle. The experiment is also applied to methane and ammonia molecules.

Resolving subcycle electron emission in strong-field sequential double ionization.

Using a fully classical model, we have studied sequential double ionization (SDI) of argon driven by elliptically polarized laser pulses at intensities well in the over-barrier ionization region. The results show that ion momentum distributions evolve from the two-band structure to the four-band, six-band structure and finally to the previously obtained four-band structure as the pulse duration increases. Our analysis shows that the evolution of these band structures originates from the pulse-duration-dependent multiple ionization bursts of the second electron. These band structures unambiguously indicate the subcycle electron emission in SDI.

Contribution of recollision ionization to the cross-shaped structure in nonsequential double ionization.

With the three-dimensional classical ensemble model, we investigate the correlated electron emission in nonsequential double ionization (NSDI) of argon atoms by few-cycle laser pulses. Our calculations well reproduce the experimentally observed cross-shaped structure in the correlated two-electron momentum spectrum [ Nature Commun. 3, 813 (2012)]. By tracing these NSDI trajectories, we find that besides the process of recollision-induced excitation with subsequent ionization just before the next field maximum, the recollision ionization also significantly contributes to the cross-shaped structure.

The effect of molecular alignment on correlated electron dynamics in nonsequential double ionization.

The electron-electron correlation in nonsequential double ionization (NSDI) from aligned molecules by linearly polarized 800 nm laser pulses has been investigated with the three-dimensional classical ensemble model. The result shows that for the perpendicular alignment the two electrons involved in NSDI more likely exit the molecule into the opposite hemispheres as compared to the parallel alignment, which agrees well with the experimental result [Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 203003 (2005)]. This alignment effect is qualitatively explained based on the suppressed potential barriers which are different for parallel molecules and perpendicular molecules. Additionally, the intensity dependence of the alignment effect is also explored.

Control the revisit time of the electron wave packet.

Ionization of molecules by strong laser fields launches an electron wave packet. This electron wave packet, which can be driven back by the field to recollide with the parent ion, has been widely explored to probe the ultrafast nuclear dynamics. We numerically demonstrate the precise control of the temporal characteristic of the recolliding electron wave packet (REWP) by orthogonally polarized two-color fields. Through changing the relative phase of the two fields, the revisit time of REWP can be manipulated with a resolution of less than 200 attos, thus significantly improving the resolution of the well known molecular clock. This provides an efficient method for real-time observation of the ultrafast molecular dynamics with attosecond resolution.