Quantitative rescattering theory for high-order harmonic generation from molecules
- Department of Physics, Cardwell Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506 (United States)
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A and M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3255 (United States)
- Nature Publishing Group, 4 Crinan Street, London N1 9XW (United Kingdom)
- Department of Applied Physics and Chemistry, University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofu-ga-oka, Chofu-shi, Tokyo 182-8585 (Japan) and PRESTO, JST Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan)
The quantitative rescattering theory (QRS) for high-order harmonic generation (HHG) by intense laser pulses is presented. According to the QRS, HHG spectra can be expressed as a product of a returning electron wave packet and the photorecombination differential cross section of the laser-free continuum electron back to the initial bound state. We show that the shape of the returning electron wave packet is determined mostly by the laser. The returning electron wave packets can be obtained from the strong-field approximation or from the solution of the time-dependent Schroedinger equation (TDSE) for a reference atom. The validity of the QRS is carefully examined by checking against accurate results for both harmonic magnitude and phase from the solution of the TDSE for atomic targets within the single active electron approximation. Combining with accurate transition dipoles obtained from state-of-the-art molecular photoionization calculations, we further show that available experimental measurements for HHG from partially aligned molecules can be explained by the QRS. Our results show that quantitative description of the HHG from aligned molecules has become possible. Since infrared lasers of pulse durations of a few femtoseconds are easily available in the laboratory, they may be used for dynamic imaging of a transient molecule with femtosecond temporal resolutions.
- OSTI ID:
- 21313279
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. A, Vol. 80, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.80.013401; (c) 2009 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1050-2947
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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