Autoionization dynamics of (2P1/2)ns/d states in krypton probed by noncollinear wave mixing with attosecond extreme ultraviolet and few-cycle near infrared pulses

• Published in: The Journal of chemical physics 2019-09, Vol.151 (11)
• Main Authors: Fidler, Ashley P., Marroux, Hugo J. B., Warrick, Erika R., Bloch, Etienne, Cao, Wei, Leone, Stephen R., Neumark, Daniel M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0021-9606; 1089-7690
• DOI: 10.1063/1.5113912

The autoionization dynamics of the (2P1/2)ns/d Rydberg states in krypton are investigated using spatially isolated wave-mixing signals generated with a short train of subfemtosecond extreme ultraviolet (XUV) pulses and noncollinear, few-cycle near infrared pulses. Despite ubiquitous quantum beat oscillations from XUV-induced coherences within the excited-state manifold, these wave-mixing spectra allow for the simultaneous evaluation of autoionization lifetimes from a series of Rydberg states above the first ionization potential. Experimentally measured lifetimes of 22 ± 8 fs, 33 ± 6 fs, and 49 ± 6 fs for the wave-mixing signals emitting from the (2P1/2)6d/8s, (2P1/2)7d/9s, and (2P1/2)8d/10s resonances compare favorably with lifetimes for the (2P1/2)6d, 7d, and 8d Rydberg states determined from spectral linewidths. Analysis of the quantum beats reveals that the enhancement of wave-mixing pathways that couple the (2P1/2)nd states to themselves leads to individual reporter state-dependent decays in the wave-mixing signals. The results demonstrate the promise of wave-mixing spectroscopies with subfemtosecond XUV pulses to provide valuable insights into processes governed by electronic dynamics.