Orbital geometry determined by orthogonal high-order harmonic polarization components
- ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Mediterranean Technology Park, E-08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona) (Spain)
- Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269 (United States)
We study the polarization state of high-order harmonics produced by linearly polarized light interacting with two-center molecules. By generating high-harmonic 'polarization maps' from Radon transformations of excited electronic wave functions, we show that the polarization of the harmonic radiation can be linked to the geometry of the molecular orbital. While in the Radon transformation the plane-wave approximation for the rescattered electron is implicitly assumed, numerical solutions of the two-dimensional time-dependent Schro{center_dot}{center_dot}dinger equation, in which this approximation is not made, confirm the validity of this topological connection. We also find that measuring two orthogonal amplitude components of the harmonics provides a method for quantum tomography that substantially improves the quality of reconstructed molecular states.
- OSTI ID:
- 21408547
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. A, Vol. 81, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.81.041401; (c) 2010 The American Physical Society; ISSN 1050-2947
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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MOLECULES
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
POLARIZATION
RADON
TIME DEPENDENCE
TOMOGRAPHY
TOPOLOGY
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VISIBLE RADIATION
WAVE FUNCTIONS
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DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
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FLUIDS
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