Magnetic fields alter tunneling in strong-field ionization
Abstract
When a strong laser pulse induces the ionization of an atom, momentum conservation dictates that the absorbed photons transfer their momentum to the electron and its parent ion. Even after 30 years of studying strong-field ionization, the sharing of the photon momentum between the two particles and its underlying mechanism are still under debate in theory. Corresponding experiments are very challenging due to the extremely small photon momentum ( a.u.) and their precision has been too limited, so far, to ultimately resolve the debate. Here, by utilizing a novel experimental approach of two counter-propagating laser pulses, we present a detailed study on the effects of the photon momentum in strong-field ionization. The high precision and self-referencing of the method allows to unambiguously demonstrate the action of the light's magnetic field on the electron while it is under the tunnel barrier, confirming theoretical predictions, disproving others. Our results deepen the understanding of, for example, molecular imaging and time-resolved photoelectron holography.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1902.07278,
title = {Magnetic fields alter tunneling in strong-field ionization},
author = {A. Hartung and S. Eckart and S. Brennecke and J. Rist and D. Trabert and K. Fehre and M. Richter and H. Sann and S. Zeller and K. Henrichs and G. Kastirke and J. Hoehl and A. Kalinin and M. S. Schöffler and T. Jahnke and L. Ph. H. Schmidt and M. Lein and M. Kunitski and R. Dörner},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1902.07278},
year = {2020}
}