Nonsequential double ionization of diatomic molecules by elliptically polarized laser pulses

Using the classical ensemble method, we investigate nonsequential double ionization （NSDI） of diatomic molecules by elliptically polarized laser pulses. The results show that the ellipticity of the laser field has a strong suppression effect on NSDI probabilities both in parallel and perpendicular alignments. The double ionization （DI） channel is commonly dominated by NSDI, and the NSDI channel changes with ellipticity. As ellipticity increases, more and more NSDIs occur through recollision excitation with subsequent field ionization （RESI）. Moreover, like the case of linear polarization, the two electrons involved in NSDI for perpendicularly aligned molecules are more likely to emit into the opposite hemispheres as compared to the case of parallel alignment. Additionally, this alignment effect increases as ellipticity increases.     

Asymmetric structure of atomic above-threshold ionization spectrum in two-color elliptically polarized laser fields

According to the frequency-domain theory, we investigate the asymmetric structure of above-threshold ionization(ATI) spectrum of an atom in two-color elliptically polarized(EP) laser fields. When both laser fields are linearly polarized(LP), the spectrum shows that the multi-plateau structure is symmetric about the emitted angle of electron at π/2, while the spectrum becomes asymmetric and shifts rightwards with the increase of the EP degree of the IR laser field. Since the total ATI process is regarded as including direct ATI and the rescattering ATI, we analyze the spectrum structure of direct ATI and rescattering ATI separately. Using the saddle-point approximation, we find that for direct ATI, the fringes on the spectrum are mainly attributed to the fact that the ionization probability becomes very small when the direction of emitted electrons is perpendicular to the direction of the XUV laser polarization; while for the rescattering ATI, the interference fringes on the spectrum mainly come from the superposition of the waist structures on the spectra of all sub-channels.     

Dynamical analysis of the effect of elliptically polarized laser pulses on molecular alignment and orientation

In this Letter, we study the molecular alignment and orientation driven by two elliptically polarized laser pulses.It is shown that the field-free molecular alignment can be achieved in a three-dimensional(3D) case, while the field-free molecular orientation is only along the x and y directions, and that the field-free alignment and orientation along different axes are related to the populations of the rotational states. It is demonstrated that changing the elliptic parameter is efficient for controlling both in-pulse and post-pulse molecular alignment and orientation. The delay time also has an influence on the field-free molecular alignment and orientation.     

Effect of elliptical polarizations on nonsequential double ionization in two-color elliptically polarized laser fields

Using the classical ensemble model, we investigate the nonsequential double ionization(NSDI) of Ar and Mg in the two-color elliptically polarized laser pulse for different elliptical polarizations. Numerical results show that for Ar atoms the NSDI yield increases as the ellipticity increases, which is different from the case of Mg atoms. Moreover, the correlated behavior in the correlated electron momentum along the x direction and ion momentum distributions of Ar atoms are influenced by the ellipticity. By statistical analysis of different times, we can conclude that the ellipticity may be responsible for the NSDI processes. The correlated momenta distributions along the x direction at the recollision time are demonstrated and the results show that the travelling time and ellipticity can affect the emitted directions of both electrons.     

Resolving multi-orbital effects on high harmonic generation from aligned N_2 molecules in linearly and elliptically polarized intense laser fields

We perform an experimental study of the multi-orbital effect on the high-order harmonic generation(HHG) from aligned N_2 molecules in both linearly and elliptically polarized intense laser fields.Measured by a home-built extreme ultraviolet(XUV) flat grating spectrometer with the pump–probe method, the angular distributions of different orders of HHG are obtained, which show distinctive behaviors for harmonics in the plateau and the cut-off regions.The ellipticity dependence of HHG is investigated by aligning the molecular axis parallel or perpendicular to the laser polarization.Our results indicate that both the highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO) as well as the lower one(HOMO-1) contribute to the HHG of N_2 molecules, in either linearly or elliptically polarized intense laser field.The study paves the way for understanding the ultrafast electron dynamics of molecules exposed to an intense laser field.     

Semiclassical investigation of Coulomb focusing effects in atomic above-threshold ionization with elliptically polarized laser fields

We investigate atomic above-threshold ionization in elliptically polarized strong laser fields with a semiclassical approach.With increasing laser intensity,the Coulomb focusing(CF) effects are found to become stronger in both parallel and perpendicular directions with respect to the polarization plane.The dependence of CF effects on tunnel exit,initial transverse momentum distribution and laser electric field is analyzed.It was revealed that the effects of tunnel exit are most prominent with variation of the laser intensity,and the other two factors both play non-negligible roles.Our results provide a deeper insight to the recent experiments of Coulomb asymmetry[Shafir D,et al.,2013 Phys.Rev.Lett.111 023005 and Li M,et al,2013 Phys.Rev.Lett.111 023006].     

Double ionization by strong elliptically polarized laser pulses

We join the tribute to Professor N.B. Delone in this memorial issue by presenting the results of new calculations on the effects of ellipticity on double ionization by short and strong near-optical laser pulses.     

Dynamic and geometric alignment of molecules induced by intense laser fields

We present a method to discuss simultaneously the relative importance of molecular dynamic and geometric alignment induced by intense laser fields in theoretical view. This method divides the process of molecular alignment into three steps, which are tightly correlated with that of molecular multielectron dissociative ionization and Coulomb explosion. A fourth-order Runge-Kutta algorithm and a developed counting approach are used to calculate the angular distribution of molecules in the first and second steps of molecular alignment. The last step is described by a field-ionization, Coulomb explosion model. The angular distribution of molecules at the critical distance originated from geometric alignment is obtained by calculating the volume of shells associated with a series of particular angle. The final angular distributions of molecules are obtained by properly weighting the results of three steps. The numerical results of distinguishing between dynamic and geometric alignment for certain conditions are presented and discussed. Our computational results show that the alignment mechanism, which dominates the observed anisotropy of angular distributions of ionic fragments for a given condition, is determined by the dependences of the extent of dynamic and geometric alignment on laser parameters and molecular parameters.     

Decoding the electron dynamics in high-order harmonic generation from asymmetric molecular ions in elliptically polarized laser fields

The high-order harmonic generation from an asymmetric molecular ion is theoretically investigated based on the Born-Oppenheimer model with two-dimensional electron dynamics. It is shown that the harmonic intensity changes periodically in elliptically polarized laser fields. The periodical character is ellipticity-dependent. By establishing the physical image, the periodicity of the harmonic intensity can be ascribed to the contributions of the ground state and the excited state. Furthermore, the electron dynamics from different electronic states can be selected via combining the elliptically polarized laser field with a static electric field. The harmonics dominated either by ground state or excited state are emitted once in an optical cycle in the combined laser field.     

Doppler-free intracavity polarization spectroscopy using elliptically polarized light

The optically induced polarization change was studied in the case of a standing elliptically polarized wave. Using a Zeeman-tuned gas laser at 3.39 μm with an internal methane cell we have demonstrated the influence of the dichroism on the nonlinear absorption signals.     

双λ/4波片复合效应与椭圆偏振光的实验验证

利用Jones 矩阵分析双λ/4波片对正入射线偏振光的复合效应,提出了在椭圆偏振光长短轴方位未知、λ/4波片光轴未标出的情况下,验证椭圆偏振光与部分偏振光的实验方法,利用偏振光实验平台进行的测试结果与理论分析相吻合.     

Single attosecond pulse generation with intense mid-infrared elliptically polarized laser pulses

We have studied theoretically high-harmonic-order and single attosecond pulse generation with elliptically polarized laser pulses at wavelengths ranging from the visible to the mid-infrared. Results of ab initio simulations of the time-dependent Schr?dinger equation show that the ellipticity dependence of the high-harmonic signal intensifies with increasing wavelength of the driving pulse and saturates in the mid-infrared. The isolation of single attosecond pulses using the polarization gating method in the mid-infrared is due to an effective suppression of side pulses as compared with an operation at Ti:sapphire wavelengths.     

椭圆偏振激光脉冲驱动的氩原子非次序双电离

利用经典系综模型研究了椭圆偏振激光脉冲驱动的氩原子非次序双电离.计算结果表明,非次序双电离产率随着椭偏率的增大而减小;双电离得到的电子对在激光偏振平面长轴方向的末态关联动量谱呈现正关联,在激光偏振平面短轴方向的末态关联动量谱呈现反关联;Ar²⁺在激光偏振平面短轴方向的末态动量谱呈现单峰结构,并且随着椭偏率增大而变宽.轨迹分析显示,椭圆偏振激光脉冲驱动下,非次序双电离仍然是通过再碰撞而发生;随着椭偏率的增大,有效碰撞和单电离之间的时间延迟增加,这是因为椭偏率较大时第一个电子需要经过多次往返才能与母核离子发生有效碰撞.     

Rotation and alignment of diatomic molecules and their molecular ions in strong laser fields

A theory of classical rotation and alignment of diatomic molecules with and without permanent dipole moments and of their molecular ions in strong laser fields is developed. The actions of both cw and pulsed laser fields is considered. Conditions under which molecular axes are aligned with the field, which is presumed to be linearly polarized, have been determined. The analysis leads to a conclusion that molecules exposed to ultrashort laser pulses continue to rotate even after the end of the laser pulse. The effect of dynamical chaos on the rotational angular velocity in strong laser field is discussed. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 573–582 (February 1998)     

Role of rotational state-selected for nonadiabatic alignment: OCS molecules in femtosecond laser fields

Nonadiabatic alignment by intense nonresonant laser fields is a versatile technique to manipulate the spatial direction of molecules. By solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation numerically the degree of alignment of the molecules initially in different rotational state are calculated and the results show that the degree of alignment strongly depends on the initial rotational state. Thus, the present study indicates that, for obtaining a high degree of alignment for molecules, appropriate selection of molecular rotational states is necessary.     

Time-dependent alignment and orientation of molecules in combined electrostatic and pulsed nonresonant laser fields

We examine the time evolution of states created by the nonadiabatic interaction of a polar molecule with combined electrostatic and pulsed nonresonant laser fields and show that the orientation due to the electrostatic field alone can be greatly enhanced by restricting the angular amplitude of the molecule by the pulsed laser field. An analytic model indicates that in the short-pulse limit the interaction is governed by an impulsive transfer of action from the radiative field to the molecule.     

Interaction of ultrashort elliptically polarized laser pulses with nonlinear helical photonic metamaterial

The effect of nonlinear properties of a material with a periodic structural cell (three-dimensional spiral) on the specificity of transmission and reflection of elliptically polarized laser pulses normally incident on the metamaterial is studied using the finite-difference time-domain method. An analysis of the hodograph of electric-field strength vector showed that an increase in the peak intensity of a linearly polarized laser pulse incident on a sample leads to an increase in the orthogonal component of the electric-field strength vector in the pulse transmitted through the medium. When pulses containing few electric-field periods are incident on a metamaterial, the latter demonstrates radically different optical properties for right- and left-handed circularly polarized light passing through the medium. It was shown that an increase in the intensity of a right-handed (left-handed) circularly polarized ultrashort pulse, incident on a sample composed of a rather large number of right-handed (left-handed) spirals made of nonlinearmaterial, widens the frequency range within which the incident light is almost entirely reflected from the medium.     

Nonlinear reflection of elliptically polarized light

Nonlinear reflection of elliptically polarized light waves from the interface of two isotropic transparent media, is investigated for the first time. Nonlinear Fresnel formulae are obtained. It is shown, that when linear refractive indices are equalized, selfdeformation of the polarization ellipse in nonlinear reflection depends only on incident light ellipticity, not upon its intensity and the angle of incidence.     

Topological response of inhomogeneous,elliptically polarized,light fields to controlled anisotropic perturbations

The effect of controlled anisotropic losses on the topological structure of complex, elliptically polarized, light fields has been investigated. It has been shown that they can either initiate topological reactions with the appearance/disappearance of C points, saddle points, etc., or induce only their slight shift. Both strong and slight topological responses can be realized in the same field at sections with different inhomogeneity degrees of the polarization parameters of the field.