Referenced in: none

Automatically associated channels: Kv2.1

Title: Attosecond control in photoionization of hydrogen molecules.

Authors: F Kelkensberg, W Siu, J F Pérez-Torres, F Morales, G Gademann, A Rouzée, P Johnsson, M Lucchini, F Calegari, J L Sanz-Vicario, F Martín, M J J Vrakking

Journal, date & volume: Phys. Rev. Lett., 2011 Jul 22 , 107, 043002

PubMed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21866998

Abstract
We report experiments where hydrogen molecules were dissociatively ionized by an attosecond pulse train in the presence of a near-infrared field. Fragment ion yields from distinguishable ionization channels oscillate with a period that is half the optical cycle of the IR field. For molecules aligned parallel to the laser polarization axis, the oscillations are reproduced in two-electron quantum simulations, and can be explained in terms of an interference between ionization pathways that involve different harmonic orders and a laser-induced coupling between the 1sσ(g) and 2pσ(u) states of the molecular ion. This leads to a situation where the ionization probability is sensitive to the instantaneous polarization of the molecule by the IR electric field and demonstrates that we have probed the IR-induced electron dynamics with attosecond pulses.