Annular billiard dynamics in a circularly polarized strong laser field

Area of Science:

• Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Quantum Chemistry
• Classical Mechanics

Background:

• The behavior of valence electrons in molecules like buckminsterfullerene (C60) under intense laser fields is complex.
• Understanding electron dynamics is crucial for predicting molecular response to light.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the dynamics of a buckminsterfullerene (C60) valence electron in a circularly polarized laser field.
• To model this system using a classical particle in an annular billiard.
• To identify and characterize distinct electron trajectories.

Main Methods:

• Classical particle dynamics simulation in an annular billiard model.
• Analysis of electron trajectories under varying laser field intensities (10^10 to 10^14 Wcm^-2).

Main Results:

• Identified three distinct types of electron trajectories: whispering gallery, daisy, and downfield orbits.
• Observed that these trajectories maintain their distinct features across a wide range of laser intensities.
• Attributed the robust phase space separation to the presence of twistless tori.

Conclusions:

• The classical billiard model effectively captures distinct electron dynamics in C60 under laser fields.
• Electron trajectory separation is a robust phenomenon, largely independent of laser intensity.
• Twistless tori play a key role in maintaining the observed phase space structure.