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arXiv:2604.16107

Entanglement and photoelectron holography in dissociative photoionization: molecular quantum eraser

Sebastian Hell, Paul Winter, Martin Gärttner, Julian Späthe, Saurabh Mhatre, Dejan B. Milošević, Gerhard G. Paulus, Manfred Lein, Matthias Kübel

quant-phphysics.chem-phphysics.opticsSubmitted Apr 17, 2026• Announced Apr 20, 2026• 0 citations• Revised Oct 18, 2026 (v3)
v1 · Apr 17, 2026v2 · Oct 12, 2026v3 · Oct 18, 2026
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Abstract

In a double-slit experiment with a bipartite system, the visibility of interference fringes depends on the availability of which-way information. Here, we report a Bell-like state of photoelectron and residual ion in the multiphoton dissociative ionization of the D$_2$ molecule. Evidence for entanglement is provided by the correlated emission directions of photoelectron and ion, which is observed using a COLTRIMS reaction microscope. In the presence of this correlation, the holographic interference fringes contained in the photoelectron momentum distributions are suppressed, indicating the existence of which-way information. The interference pattern persists when a single ionic state is populated and thus no which-way information is available. The experimental observations and conclusions are supported by the numerical solution of the electronic-nuclear time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Our work demonstrates that coincidence spectroscopy of ions and electrons is a powerful method for studying fundamental concepts of quantum information science within the context of ultrafast light-matter interactions.

Comments
16 pages, 8 figures

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