Multiorbital Tunneling Ionization of the CO Molecule
Abstract
We coincidently measure the molecular-frame photoelectron angular distribution and the ion sum-momentum distribution of single and double ionization of CO molecules by using circularly and elliptically polarized femtosecond laser pulses, respectively. The orientation dependent ionization rates for various kinetic energy releases allow us to individually identify the ionizations of multiple orbitals, ranging from the highest occupied to the next two lower-lying molecular orbitals for various channels observed in our experiments. Not only the emission of a single electron, but also the sequential tunneling dynamics of two electrons from multiple orbitals are traced step by step. Our results confirm that the shape of the ionizing orbitals determine the strong laser field tunneling ionization in the CO molecule, whereas the linear Stark effect plays a minor role.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- May 2012
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.183001
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1203.3119
- Bibcode:
- 2012PhRvL.108r3001W
- Keywords:
-
- 32.80.Rm;
- 42.50.Hz;
- 42.65.Re;
- Multiphoton ionization and excitation to highly excited states;
- Strong-field excitation of optical transitions in quantum systems;
- multiphoton processes;
- dynamic Stark shift;
- Ultrafast processes;
- optical pulse generation and pulse compression;
- Physics - Atomic Physics;
- Physics - Optics
- E-Print:
- This paper has been accepted for publication by Physical Review Letters