Mapping attosecond electron wave packet motion

• Published in: Physical review letters 2005-03, Vol.94 (8), p.083003.1-083003.4, Article 083003
• Main Authors: NIIKURA, Hiromichi, VILLENEUVE, D. M, CORKUM, P. B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atomic and molecular physics; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Molecular properties and interactions with photons; Multiphoton ionization and excitation to highly excited states (e.g., rydberg states); Multiphoton ionization and excitation to highly excited states (eg, Rydberg states); Optics; Photon interactions with molecules; Physics; Quantum optics; Strong-field excitation of optical transitions in quantum systems; multi-photon processes; dynamic stark shift
• ISSN: 0031-9007; 1079-7114
• DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.94.083003

Attosecond pulses are produced when an intense infrared laser pulse induces a dipole interaction between a sublaser cycle recollision electron wave packet and the remaining coherently related bound-state population. By solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation we show that, if the recollision electron is extracted from one or more electronic states that contribute to the bound-state wave packet, then the spectrum of the attosecond pulse is modulated depending on the relative motion of the continuum and bound wave packets. When the internal electron and recollision electron wave packet counterpropagate, the radiation intensity is lower. We show that we can fully characterize the attosecond bound-state wave packet dynamics. We demonstrate that electron motion from a two-level molecule with an energy difference of 14 eV, corresponding to a period of 290 asec, can be resolved.