Intense-field molecular ionization, for extended test of theory

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Hanspeter Helm
• Subject Area: Optics, Quantum Optics and Physics of Atoms, Molecules and Plasmas
• Term: from 2006 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 32438436

We will explore the role of bound molecular states in strong field photoionization. Precise momentum distributions of photo-electrons formed from H2 will be gathered and compared with those predicted by recent theory. Analogous data will be recorded in molecular oxygen, which shares many similarities with H2 but which lacks long-lived bound Rydberg states. The study includes a search for signs of anomalities in the spatial distribution of electron momenta, and for signs of alignment and revival of molecular alignment in the photoelectron signature.The goal is to provide a reliable database, unprecedented in precision, against which current and future theories on the strong-field response of molecules can be tested. The hope is to reach a level of agreement as we recently demonstrated in the case of strong-field ionization in argon.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants