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Controlling electron-ion rescattering in two-color circularly polarized femtosecond laser fields

Journal Article · · Physical Review A
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [2];  [2]
  1. Univ. of Colorado and NIST, Boulder, CO (United States); JILA, University of Colorado Boulder
  2. Univ. of Colorado and NIST, Boulder, CO (United States)
  3. Univ. of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
  4. Univ. of Tsukuba (Japan)
  5. Univ. of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina); Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina); Max-Born-Inst., Berlin (Germany)
  6. Max-Born-Inst., Berlin (Germany)
High-harmonic generation driven by two-color counter-rotating circularly polarized laser fields was recently demonstrated experimentally as a breakthrough source of bright, coherent, circularly polarized beams in the extreme ultraviolet and soft-x-ray regions. However, the conditions for optimizing the single-atom yield are significantly more complex than for linearly polarized driving lasers and are not fully understood. In this study we present a comprehensive study of strong-field ionization—the complementary process to high-harmonic generation—driven by two-color circularly polarized fields. We uncover the conditions that lead to enhanced electron-ion rescattering, which should correspond to the highest single-atom harmonic flux. Using a velocity map imaging photoelectron spectrometer and tomographic reconstruction techniques, we record three-dimensional photoelectron distributions resulting from the strong-field ionization of argon atoms across a broad range of driving laser intensity ratios. In combination with analytical predictions and advanced numerical simulations, we show that “hard” electron-ion rescattering is optimized when the second-harmonic field has an intensity approximately four times higher than that of the fundamental driving field. We also investigate electron-ion rescattering with co-rotating fields, and find that rescattering is significantly suppressed when compared with counter-rotating fields.
Research Organization:
National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NIST), Boulder, CO (United States); Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS); National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-99ER14982
OSTI ID:
1690340
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1252126
OSTI ID: 1690342
Journal Information:
Physical Review A, Journal Name: Physical Review A Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 93; ISSN 2469-9926
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (26)

Molecules in a bicircular strong laser field journal April 2018
Circularly polarized harmonic generation by intense bicircular laser pulses: electron recollision dynamics and frequency dependent helicity journal November 2016
Channel-closing effects in strong-field ionization by a bicircular field journal February 2018
Elements of the quantitative rescattering theory journal April 2018
Probing atomic and molecular targets by intense bicircular counter-rotating laser fields journal June 2018
Circularly polarized attosecond pulse generation and applications to ultrafast magnetism journal November 2017
High harmonic generation with Laguerre–Gaussian beams journal July 2019
Pulse-length effects in strong-field ionization of atoms by co-rotating and counter-rotating bicircular laser pulses journal October 2019
Possibility of introducing spin into attoscience with spin-polarized electrons produced by a bichromatic circularly polarized laser field journal May 2016
Improved strong-field approximation and quantum-orbit theory: Application to ionization by a bicircular laser field journal June 2016
Retrieval of target structure information from laser-induced photoelectrons by few-cycle bicircular laser fields journal March 2017
Quantum interference in laser-induced nonsequential double ionization journal September 2017
Symmetry in circularly polarized molecular high-order harmonic generation with intense bicircular laser pulses journal February 2018
Subcycle interference upon tunnel ionization by counter-rotating two-color fields journal April 2018
Photoelectron-momentum distribution of H 2 + molecules at different internuclear distances in an elliptically polarized laser field journal July 2018
Controlling Nonsequential Double Ionization in Two-Color Circularly Polarized Femtosecond Laser Fields journal September 2016
Nonsequential Double Ionization by Counterrotating Circularly Polarized Two-Color Laser Fields journal September 2016
Helicity-Selective Enhancement and Polarization Control of Attosecond High Harmonic Waveforms Driven by Bichromatic Circularly Polarized Laser Fields journal August 2017
Comparison Study of Strong-Field Ionization of Molecules and Atoms by Bicircular Two-Color Femtosecond Laser Pulses journal November 2017
Study of the circular dichroism of He + ion journal January 2019
Helicity asymmetry in strong-field ionization of atoms by a bicircular laser field journal January 2018
Intensity-dependent two-electron emission dynamics in nonsequential double ionization by counter-rotating two-color circularly polarized laser fields journal January 2018
Nonsequential double ionization by co-rotating two-color circularly polarized laser fields journal January 2019
Two-dimensional photoelectron holography in strong-field tunneling ionization by counter rotating two-color circularly polarized laser pulses journal January 2019
High harmonic generation with Laguerre–Gaussian beams text January 2019
Non-Sequential Double Ionization by Counter Rotating Circularly Polarized Two-Color Laser Fields text January 2016

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