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arXiv:2412.17996 · Physical Review A

Multiphoton ionization distributions beyond the dipole approximation: Retardation versus recoil corrections

J. Z. Kamiński, K. Krajewska

Published Jul 15, 2025• 3 citations
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Abstract

We study nondipole effects in multiphoton ionization of a two-dimensional hydrogen-like atom by a flat-top laser pulse of varied intensity. For this purpose, we solve numerically a two-dimensional Schrödinger equation treating a propagating laser pulse exactly. The resulting distributions are then compared to those calculated in the dipole approximation. A directional dependence of the energy-angular photoelectron distributions is demonstrated numerically in the case of a propagating laser pulse of a moderate and a high intensity. It is analytically interpreted based on the leading order relativistic expansion of the electron Volkov state, showing a significant contribution of the electron recoil to that behavior. In contrast, the retardation correction originating from the space- and time-dependence of the laser field leads to a tiny redshift of the photoelectron energy spectra. Other features of ionization distributions are also analyzed, including the sidelobes and the double-hump structures of multiphoton peaks, or their disappearance for intense propagating laser pulses.

DOI
10.1103/df6g-tpt9

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We study nondipole effects in multiphoton ionization of a two-dimensional hydrogen-like atom by a flat-top laser pulse of varied intensity. For this purpose, we solve numerically a two-dimensional Schrödinger equation treating a propagating laser pulse exactly. The resulting distributions are then compared to those calculated in the dipole approximation. A directional dependence of the energy-angular photoelectron distributions is demonstrated numerically in the case of a propagating laser pulse of a moderate and a high intensity. It is analytically interpreted based on the leading order relativistic expansion of the electron Volkov state, showing a significant contribution of the electron recoil to that behavior. In contrast, the retardation correction originating from the space- and time-dependence of the laser field leads to a tiny redshift of the photoelectron energy spectra. Other features of ionization distributions are also analyzed, including the sidelobes and the double-hump structures of multiphoton peaks, or their disappearance for intense propagating laser pulses.
The angular distribution of the emitted electrons, following the two-photon ionization of hydrogen-like ions, is studied within the framework of second order perturbation theory and the Dirac equation. Using a density matrix approach, we have investigated the effects which arise from the polarization of the incoming light as well as from the higher multipoles in the expansion of the electron–photon interaction. For medium- and high- Z ions, in particular, the non-dipole contributions give rise to a significant change in the angular distribution of the emitted electrons, if compared with the electric dipole approximation. This includes a strong forward emission while, in the dipole approximation, the electron emission always occurs symmetrically with respect to the plane which is perpendicular to the photon beam. Detailed computations for the dependence of the photoelectron angular distributions on the polarization of the incident light are carried out for the ionization of H, and Xe 53+ and U 91+ (hydrogen-like) ions.
Synopsis We develop a time-dependent perturbation theory beyond the dipole approximation to analyze the two-photon ionization dynamics of atoms exposed to short laser pulses with an arbitrary polarization. Subse-quent applications of the PT method in the nonresonant regime allow us to analyze one of the most important nondipole effects, i.e., the linear-momentum-transfer law in the two-photon ionization process and to unveil the important role of the interferences between the dipole and nondipole transition pathways to the photoelectron momentum shift along the laser-propagation direction.
An approximate non-perturbative theory of multiphoton ionization of a hydrogen atom by two strong radiation fields is outlined. The special case is then considered for when one of the fields is of low intensity and high frequency and the other field is of high intensity and low frequency. A set of representative calculations has been performed for this case; that is, (a) angular distributions for given numbers of absorbed and emitted low-frequency photons and different geometries; (b) total cross-sections versus the strong-field intensity; (c) angular distributions summed over all the low-frequency photon exchanges, showing a fourfold symmetry in a geometry in which each ionization channel exhibits, instead, only a twofold symmetry; (d) the average energy gained by the ejected electrons. Calculations are performed for a strong low-frequency field of arbitrary polarization. In many respects, the present calculations are expected to complement those of single-field multiphoton ionization. It is hoped that the results of the calculations reported here may prompt systematic measurements also in this new class of processes, as the predictions are well within the state of the art of present multiphoton-ionization experiments.
We calculate two-dimensional photoelectron momentum distributions and energy spectra after multiphoton ionization of Li atoms subject to intense laser fields in the one-photon Rabi-flopping regime. The time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation is solved within the single-active-electron approximation using a model potential which reproduces accurately the binding energies and dipole matrix elements of the Li atom. Interaction with the external electromagnetic field is treated within the dipole approximation. We show that the Rabi oscillations of the population between the ground 2s2s2s state and the excited 2p2p2p state in the one-photon resonance regime are reflected in the energy spectra of emitted photoelectrons, which manifest interference structures with minima. Transformations of the interference structures in the photoelectron energy spectra caused by the variation of the laser peak intensity and pulse duration are analyzed.
We develop a time-dependent perturbation theory (PT) beyond the dipole approximation to analyze the two-photon ionization dynamics of atoms exposed to short laser pulses with an arbitrary polarization. In a wide range of laser parameters, the good performance of the PT method is validated by comparing the results of a number of physical quantities with those calculated by numerically solving the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation beyond the dipole approximation. Subsequent applications of the PT method in the nonresonant regime allow us to unveil the important role of the interferences between the dipole and nondipole transition pathways to the photoelectron momentum shift along the laser-propagation direction. In particular, we find that the ratio of the probability of each dipole transition channel to the total ionization probability oscillates with the increase of the photon energy. The interferences among different pathways and the oscillatory behavior of the ratios jointly lead to a series of minima in the linear momentum transfer for the case of the linear polarization.
We present a theoretical study of the main characteristics of two-color photoionization spectra obtained when atoms are subjected to an intense radiation pulse containing the fundamental of an infrared laser and one of its higher harmonics. The frequency of the latter is chosen to be high enough that the atom can be ionized by a single photon. The calculation is performed by numerical integration of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for a (three-dimensional) hydrogen atom. We present the general properties of the spectra and angular distributions as well as the possible occurrence of interferences between the laser-assisted process and above-threshold ionization. Our results indicate that such interference effects, which can lead to partial coherent control of the photoionization process, can be observed at moderate laser intensities within the reach of currently operated laser and harmonic sources.