Signatures of symmetry and electronic structure in high-order harmonic generation in polyatomic molecules

Journal Article · Tue Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physical Review. A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVA.81.061402· OSTI ID:21407878

Wong, M C. H.; Brichta, J -P; Bhardwaj, V R ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, University of Ottawa, 150 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5 (Canada)

We report detailed measurements of high-order harmonic generation in chloromethane molecules (CCl{sub 4}, CHCl{sub 3}, and CH{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}) to show that fingerprints of symmetry and electronic structure can be decoded from high-order harmonic generation even in complex randomly oriented molecules. In our measurements, orbital symmetries of these molecules are manifested as both extended harmonic cutoffs and a local minimum in the ellipticity dependence of the cut-off harmonics, suggesting the occurrence of quantum interferences during ionization. The harmonic spectra exhibit distinct interference minima at {approx}42 and {approx}60 eV. We attribute the former to the Cooper minimum in the photoionization cross section and the latter to intramolecular interference during the recombination process.

• OSTI ID: 21407878
• Journal Information: Physical Review. A, Vol. 81, Issue 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.81.061402; (c) 2010 The American Physical Society; ISSN 1050-2947
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
CARBON TETRACHLORIDE
CHLOROFORM
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
EV RANGE
HARMONIC GENERATION
HARMONICS
INTERFERENCE
METHYL CHLORIDE
METHYLENE CHLORIDE
MOLECULES
PHOTOIONIZATION
SYMMETRY
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
ENERGY RANGE
FREQUENCY MIXING
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
IONIZATION
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
OSCILLATIONS