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Real-time evolution of a laser-dressed Helium atom: Attosecond-resolved two-color photoionization study

Atomic Physics 2011-08-02 v1 Optics

Abstract

Using extreme-ultraviolet attosecond-pulse-trains, we investigate the photoionization dynamics of a Helium atom in the presence of moderately-strong (~10^12 W/cm^2) femtosecond laser pulses. The electronic structure of a laser-dressed atom is traced in real-time through precision measurements of ion-yields and photo-electron angular distributions. Quantum interferences between photo-excitation paths are interpreted using the Floquet formalism. As the laser pulse intensity ramps on femtosecond timescales, we observe transitions between ionization channels mediated by different atomic resonances. The quantum phase of interfering paths is extracted for each channel and compared with simulations. Our results elucidate photoionization mechanisms in strong-fields and open the doors for photo-absorption/ionization control schemes.

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Cite

@article{arxiv.1108.0112,
  title  = {Real-time evolution of a laser-dressed Helium atom: Attosecond-resolved two-color photoionization study},
  author = {Niranjan Shivaram and Henry Timmers and Xiao-Min Tong and Arvinder S. Sandhu},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1108.0112},
  year   = {2011}
}

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4 pages