Photoionization microscopy

We present the first experimental results of a technique called photoionization microscopy. Photoelectrons ejected in threshold photoionization of Xe are detected in a velocity map imaging apparatus, and interferences between various trajectories by which the electron moves from the atom to the detector are observed. The structure of the interference pattern, which contains the transverse component of the electronic wave function, evolves smoothly with the excess energy above the saddle point. The main observed features are interpreted within the framework of the semiclassical approximation.