Quantum interferences in atomic ionization by short laser pulses

D. G. ARBÓ

Blgrado

Conferencia; 5th Conference on elementary Processes in Atomic Systems; 2011

Electrons are emitted by tunneling through the potential barrier formed by the combination of the atomic potential and the external strong field. Tunneling occurs within each optical cycle predominantly around the maxima of the absolute value of the electric field [1]. After detachment from the atom, direct electrons can escape without being strongly affected by the residual core potential. Recently, diffraction fringes have been experimentally observed in photoionization of He atoms and photodetachment in F- ions [2,3], for example. In the talk, different aspects of interference processes in atomic ionization by short laser pulses will be presented. The complex interference pattern observed for the full solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation is unraveled in terms of diffraction at a grating in the time domain. The interplay between intracycle and intercycle interferences will be identified within a semiclassical description of above-threshold ionization, which remains unchanged in the presence of the long range potential of the remaining ion [4,5]. [1] P. B. Corkum et al, Opt. Lett. 19 1870 (1994). [2] B. Bergues et al, Phys. Rev. A 75, 063415 (2007). [3] S. Bivona et al, Phys. Rev. A 77, 051404 (2008). [4] D. G. Arbó et al, Phys. Rev. A 81, 021403 (2010). [5] D. G. Arbó et al, Phys. Rev. A 82, 043426 (2010).