Tunnelling of electrons via the neighboring atom

• Published in: Light, science & applications science & applications, 2024-01, Vol.13 (1), p.18-18, Article 18
• Main Authors: Zhu, Ming, Tong, Jihong, Liu, Xiwang, Yang, Weifeng, Gong, Xiaochun, Jiang, Wenyu, Lu, Peifen, Li, Hui, Song, Xiaohong, Wu, Jian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 639/624/400/385; 639/766/400/584; Approximation; Electrons; Ionization; Lasers; Microwaves; Optical and Electronic Materials; Optical Devices; Optics; Photonics; Photons; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Quantum physics; RF and Optical Engineering
• ISSN: 2047-7538; 2095-5545; 2047-7538
• DOI: 10.1038/s41377-023-01373-2

As compared to the intuitive process that the electron emits straight to the continuum from its parent ion, there is an alternative route that the electron may transfer to and be trapped by a neighboring ionic core before the eventual release. Here, we demonstrate that electron tunnelling via the neighboring atomic core is a pronounced process in light-induced tunnelling ionization of molecules by absorbing multiple near-infrared photons. We devised a site-resolved tunnelling experiment using an Ar-Kr + ion as a prototype system to track the electron tunnelling dynamics from the Ar atom towards the neighboring Kr + by monitoring its transverse momentum distribution, which is temporally captured into the resonant excited states of the Ar-Kr + before its eventual releasing. The influence of the Coulomb potential of neighboring ionic cores promises new insights into the understanding and controlling of tunnelling dynamics in complex molecules or environment. A van der Waals complex with an internuclear distance of 0.39 nm is designed as a prototype system to track electron tunneling via neighboring atoms within a sub-nanometer scale.