Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1222-1226 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Nature Physics |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Sept 2019 |
Abstract
When a strong laser pulse induces the ionization of an atom, momentum conservation dictates that the absorbed photons transfer their momentum to the electron and its parent ion. The sharing of the photon momentum between the two particles and its underlying mechanism in strong-field ionization, occurring when the bound electron tunnels through the barrier created by the superposition of the atomic potential and the electric laser field, are still debated in theory1–4 after 30 years of research. Corresponding experiments are very challenging due to the extremely small photon momentum and their precision has been too limited, so far, to ultimately resolve this debate5–8. By utilizing an experimental approach relying on two counter-propagating laser pulses, we present a detailed study of the effects of the photon momentum in strong-field ionization. The high precision of the method and the intrinsically known zero momentum allow us to unambiguously demonstrate the action of the light’s magnetic field on the electron while it is under the tunnel barrier, which has only been theoretically predicted so far1–3,9, thereby disproving opposing predictions5,10,11. Our results deepen the understanding of, for example, molecular imaging12,13 and time-resolved photoelectron holography14.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- General Physics and Astronomy
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In: Nature Physics, Vol. 15, No. 12, 30.09.2019, p. 1222-1226.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Magnetic fields alter strong-field ionization
AU - Hartung, Andreas
AU - Eckart, Sebastian
AU - Brennecke, Simon
AU - Rist, Jonas
AU - Trabert, D.
AU - Fehre, K.
AU - Richter, Margit
AU - Sann, Hendrik
AU - Zeller, Stefan
AU - Henrichs, Kevin
AU - Kastirke, G.
AU - Hoehl, J.
AU - Kalinin, Anton
AU - Schöffler, Markus S.
AU - Jahnke, Till
AU - Schmidt, L. Ph H.
AU - Lein, Manfred
AU - Kunitski, Maksim
AU - Dörner, Reinhard
N1 - Funding Information: A.H., K.F. and K.H. acknowledge support by the German National Merit Foundation. We acknowledge support from Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft via Sonderforschungsbereich 1319 (ELCH) and by the DFG Priority Programme ‘Quantum Dynamics in Tailored Intense Fields’.
PY - 2019/9/30
Y1 - 2019/9/30
N2 - When a strong laser pulse induces the ionization of an atom, momentum conservation dictates that the absorbed photons transfer their momentum to the electron and its parent ion. The sharing of the photon momentum between the two particles and its underlying mechanism in strong-field ionization, occurring when the bound electron tunnels through the barrier created by the superposition of the atomic potential and the electric laser field, are still debated in theory1–4 after 30 years of research. Corresponding experiments are very challenging due to the extremely small photon momentum and their precision has been too limited, so far, to ultimately resolve this debate5–8. By utilizing an experimental approach relying on two counter-propagating laser pulses, we present a detailed study of the effects of the photon momentum in strong-field ionization. The high precision of the method and the intrinsically known zero momentum allow us to unambiguously demonstrate the action of the light’s magnetic field on the electron while it is under the tunnel barrier, which has only been theoretically predicted so far1–3,9, thereby disproving opposing predictions5,10,11. Our results deepen the understanding of, for example, molecular imaging12,13 and time-resolved photoelectron holography14.
AB - When a strong laser pulse induces the ionization of an atom, momentum conservation dictates that the absorbed photons transfer their momentum to the electron and its parent ion. The sharing of the photon momentum between the two particles and its underlying mechanism in strong-field ionization, occurring when the bound electron tunnels through the barrier created by the superposition of the atomic potential and the electric laser field, are still debated in theory1–4 after 30 years of research. Corresponding experiments are very challenging due to the extremely small photon momentum and their precision has been too limited, so far, to ultimately resolve this debate5–8. By utilizing an experimental approach relying on two counter-propagating laser pulses, we present a detailed study of the effects of the photon momentum in strong-field ionization. The high precision of the method and the intrinsically known zero momentum allow us to unambiguously demonstrate the action of the light’s magnetic field on the electron while it is under the tunnel barrier, which has only been theoretically predicted so far1–3,9, thereby disproving opposing predictions5,10,11. Our results deepen the understanding of, for example, molecular imaging12,13 and time-resolved photoelectron holography14.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074367409&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.48550/arXiv.1902.07278
DO - 10.48550/arXiv.1902.07278
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85074367409
VL - 15
SP - 1222
EP - 1226
JO - Nature Physics
JF - Nature Physics
SN - 1745-2473
IS - 12
ER -