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arXiv:2304.13889 · Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

Polarization control of RABBITT in noble gas atoms

Anatoli S. Kheifets, Zhongtao Xu

Published Jul 7, 2023• 9 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract The mutual angle formed by the non-collinear polarization axes of two laser pulses is used to control two-photon extreme ultraviolet and infrared ionization of noble gas atoms in the process of reconstruction of attosecond bursts by beating of two-photon transitions (RABBITT). The magnitude and the phase of this beating can be controlled very efficiently by the mutual polarization angle. The mechanism of this control can be understood within the lowest order perturbation theory and the soft photon approximation. We offer a very sensitive test on the polarization control of the angular dependent RABBITT process which validates our numerical simulations. We apply this test to the recent theoretical and experimental results of polarization controlled RABBITT on hydrogen and helium by Boll et al (2023 Phys. Rev. A 107 043113) and heavier noble gases by Jiang et al (2022 Nat. Commun. 13 5072).

DOI
10.1088/1361-6455/ace574

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Physical Review A•Jul 11, 2017•53 citations
Abstract The mutual angle formed by the non-collinear polarization axes of two laser pulses is used to control two-photon extreme ultraviolet and infrared ionization of noble gas atoms in the process of reconstruction of attosecond bursts by beating of two-photon transitions (RABBITT). The magnitude and the phase of this beating can be controlled very efficiently by the mutual polarization angle. The mechanism of this control can be understood within the lowest order perturbation theory and the soft photon approximation. We offer a very sensitive test on the polarization control of the angular dependent RABBITT process which validates our numerical simulations. We apply this test to the recent theoretical and experimental results of polarization controlled RABBITT on hydrogen and helium by Boll et al (2023 Phys. Rev. A 107 043113) and heavier noble gases by Jiang et al (2022 Nat. Commun. 13 5072).
The reconstruction of attosecond beating by interference of two-photon transitions (RABBITT) setup is theoretically studied for various combinations of extreme ultraviolet and infrared (IR) field components polarization: ``linear+linear\mathrm{linear}+\mathrm{linear}linear+linear,'' ``linear+circular\mathrm{linear}+\mathrm{circular}linear+circular'' with crossed propagation directions, and ``circular+circular\mathrm{circular}+\mathrm{circular}circular+circular'' with parallel propagation directions. We examine the general properties of photoelectron angular distributions and their response to the variation of the IR pulse delay. Numerical simulations are performed for the neon valence shell ionization into the structureless continuum using two approaches: time-dependent perturbation theory and the solution of amplitude rate equations. To distinguish between ``geometrical'' governed by fields polarization and spectroscopic features, we provide an additional analysis for the case of sss-shell ionization.
We utilize the reconstruction of attosecond beating by interference of two-photon transitions (RABBITT) technique to study the phase of a Rabi-cycling atom using circularly polarized extreme ultraviolet and infrared fields, where the infrared field induces Rabi oscillations between the 2s2s2s and 2p2p2p states of lithium. Autler-Townes splittings are observed in sidebands of the photoelectron spectra and the relative phases of outgoing electron wave packets are retrieved from the azimuthal angle. In this RABBITT scheme, more ionization pathways beyond the usual two-photon pathways are required. Our results show that the polar-angle-integrated and polar-angle-resolved RABBITT phases have different behaviors when the extreme ultraviolet and infrared fields have co- and counter-rotating circular polarizations, which are traced back to the different ionization channels according to the selection rules in these two cases and their competition relying on the propensity rule in laser-assisted photoionization.
Abstract We study theoretically the single ionization of noble gas atoms by the combined action of an attosecond pulse train with linear polarization and an assistant laser field with circular polarization. We employ a non-perturbative model that under certain approximations gives closed-form expressions for the angular distributions of photoelectrons. Interestingly, our model allow us to interpret these angular distributions as two-centre interferences where the orientation and the modulus of the separation vector between the virtual emitters is governed by the assistant laser field. Additionally, we show that such a configuration of light fields is similar to the polarization control technique, where both the attosecond pulse train and the assistant laser field have linear polarizations whose relative orientation may be controlled. Moreover, in order to compare our results with the available experimental data, we obtain analytical expressions for the cross sections integrated over the photoelectron emission angles. By means of these expressions, we define the ‘magic time’ as the delay for which the total cross sections for atomic targets exhibit the same functional form as the one of the monochromatic photoionization of diatomic molecular targets.
The reconstruction of attosecond beating by interference of two-photon transitions (RABBITT) method is a leading technique for time-resolved investigation of photoionization processes. Interpretation of RABBITT spectra is limited to a lowest-order description, while new variants of the technique necessitate higher intensity infrared fields where this description breaks down. Here, we present an extension of RABBITT theory which can account for higher-order processes (RABBITT-HOP), and demonstrate RABBITT-HOP's ability to predict and describe higher-order processes through simulation of a RABBITT experiment targeting the high-lying 1 s n p Rydberg series of helium. We demonstrate that the signature line shape imparted by the resonances in the 2 ω phase of the lowest sideband can also be observed in the 2 ω phase of the next mainband, as well as in the 4 ω phases of the next sideband and mainband—each with additional phase shifts predicted under RABBITT-HOP. Repeating this analysis for a range of infrared intensities, we determine the lower limits of intensities required for these higher-order processes to become observable and upper limits beyond which nonperturbative effects begin to dominate. This new theoretical framework forms a much-needed basis for accurate interpretation of RABBITT spectra in experiments involving more intense fields, and paves the way for the development of new RABBITT-like techniques which take advantage of this new understanding of how atomic resonance effects may be propagated beyond their nearest sideband.
Abstract The process of reconstruction of attosecond bursts by beating of two-photon transitions (RABBITT) can involve a transition from under the ionization threshold. Such an under-threshold RABBITT (or uRABBITT) was demonstrated experimentally and analyzed theoretically in He and Ne. In the present work, we explore an analogous process in the argon atom. The uRABBITT in Ar reveals the familiar physical effects: a phase transition across the threshold and the symmetry modification of the photoelectron momentum distribution. It can also be used for mapping the electronic structure of the target atom bound states.
We solve the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation for a noble gas atom (He and Ne) driven by an ionizing XUV and dressing IR fields. From this solution we deduce an angular dependence of the photoemission time delay as measured by the RABBITT (reconstruction of attosecond beating by interference of two-photon transitions) technique. We use a recent angle-resolved RABBITT measurement on helium [S. Heuser et al., Phys. Rev. A 94, 063409 (2016)] to test and calibrate our theoretical model. Based on this calibration, we find no significant difference between the time delay in He measured in the angle-integrated RABBITT experiments [C. Palatchi et al., J. Phys. B 47, 245003 (2014) and D. Gu\'enot et al., J. Phys. B 47, 245602 (2014)] and measured or calculated in the polarization axis direction. The angular dependence of the photoemission time delay of Ne is shown to be qualitatively different from He because of the different orbital character of the valence 2p2p2p orbital. The angular momentum projection dependence of the time delay in Ne is also investigated.