English

Electron localization in dissociating $H_2^+$ by retroaction of a photoelectron onto its source

Atomic Physics 2016-01-28 v1 Atomic and Molecular Clusters

Abstract

We investigate the dissociation of H2+H_2^+ into a proton and a H0H^0 after single ionization with photons of an energy close to the threshold. We find that the p+p^+ and the H0H^0 do not emerge symmetrically in case of the H2+H_2^+ dissociating along the 1sσg1s\sigma_g ground state. Instead, a preference for the ejection of the p+p^+ in the direction of the escaping photoelectron can be observed. This symmetry breaking is strongest for very small electron energies. Our experiment is consistent with a recent prediction by Serov and Kheifets [Phys. Rev. A 89, 031402 (2014)]. In their model, which treats the photoelectron classically, the symmetry breaking is induced by the retroaction of the long range Coulomb potential onto the dissociating H2+H_2^+.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1601.06012,
  title  = {Electron localization in dissociating $H_2^+$ by retroaction of a photoelectron onto its source},
  author = {M. Waitz and D. Aslitürk and N. Wechselberger and H. K. Gill and J. Rist and F. Wiegandt and C. Goihl and G. Kastirke and M. Weller and T. Bauer and D. Metz and F. P. Sturm and J. Voigtsberger and S. Zeller and F. Trinter and G. Schiwietz and T. Weber and J. B. Williams and M. S. Schöffler and L. Ph. H. Schmidt and T. Jahnke and R. Dörner},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1601.06012},
  year   = {2016}
}

Comments

Accepted for publication in Phys.Rev.Lett. 1/11/2016