Project Details
Projekt
Imaging Electrons and Ions produced by two colour Counter rotating laser fields of variable ellipticity
Applicant
Professor Dr. Reinhard Dörner
Subject Area
Optics, Quantum Optics and Physics of Atoms, Molecules and Plasmas
Term
from 2015 to 2021
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 281272854
Femtosecond lasers today reach routinely intensities in the 1014 W/cm2 range. Atoms and molecules exposed to such laser pulses are efficiently ionized. At the maxima of the oscillating laser field short electron wave packets are set free which are then driven by the laser field. Shaping the electric field thus allows steering theses wave packets, which is at the heart of Priority Program 1840. The present experimental project will use a very flexible waveform (a superposition of two counter rotating elliptical fields of 400nm and 800nm). In the simplest configuration such a field has threefold symmetry, the electric field vector resembles a three leave shamrock. Tuning the relative field strength, the ellipticity and relative phase between the two colours breaks this symmetry and gives rise to a multitude of different field shapes. The complex field shapes will give rise to a complex three dimensional momentum distribution of the electrons which carries all the information on the field driven quantum dynamics. We will measure these three dimensional electron momentum distributions using the COLTRIMS technique. For each electron we will measure in coincidence the ion charge state and momentum and for small molecules the direction and energy of the charged molecular fragments.The flexibility of field shapes will allow us to learn about the interplay of coulomb potential and laser field in the ionization process. It will secondly allow us to steer the electron wave packets emitted at different times during one cycle to bring them to interference (intra cycle interference) or steer them to separate regions of momentum space to avoid these interferences. These interferogramms of the electron wave packets carry information on the angular dependent phase of atomic or molecular orbital from which the electrons emerged. We will use this to explore molecular orbitals. The flexible field shapes will thirdly allow us to control the energy distribution and direction of the electron wave packet recolliding with its parent ion. Our simulations suggest that even almost mono energetic electron beams can be made by tuning the field. A particular advantage of the suggested field forms is that the recolliding electrons can be directed to a region of phase space where they are not swamped by the direct electrons. This in turn allows to study and control otherwise inaccessible features and energy ranges (low energies) in the recollision. We will exploit this to explore shape resonances in small molecules in a laser field. We will furthermore use these electron for excitation, multiple ionization and to drive molecules to dissociation. In summary, we will combine the most advanced 3dimensional electron and ion imaging together with the highly flexible shape of counter rotating elliptical two colour fields to study and control electron wave packets emitted from and recolliding with atoms and small molecules in unpresented detail and completeness.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
