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Quantum Interference of Glory Rescattering in Strong-Field Atomic Ionization
1National Laboratory of Science and Technology on Computational Physics, Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100088, China.
Physical Review Letters
|October 20, 2018
Summary
We discovered that photoelectron transverse momentum distributions in intense laser fields follow a Bessel function due to quantum interference from glory rescattering. This finding explains previously observed experimental discrepancies in atomic ionization.
Area of Science:
- Atomic Physics
- Quantum Mechanics
- Strong-Field Physics
Background:
- Intense laser fields interacting with atoms lead to complex photoelectron dynamics.
- Understanding quantum interference effects is crucial for explaining ionization phenomena.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the transverse momentum distribution of photoelectrons during atomic ionization by intense laser fields.
- To explain the observed Bessel function-like distribution using quantum interference effects.
Main Methods:
- Development of a glory rescattering theory based on semiclassical path-integral formalism.
- Quantitative analysis of photoelectron momentum distributions.
Main Results:
- Photoelectron transverse momentum distributions are accurately fitted by a squared zeroth-order Bessel function.
- This distribution arises from quantum interference effects of glory rescattering.
- The Bessel function's characteristics are linked to the angular momentum of glory trajectories.
Conclusions:
- The developed theory resolves discrepancies between existing theories and experiments.
- It predicts transitions in holographic fringe patterns and clarifies low-energy structures in strong-field ionization.
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