Proposal for Measuring Electron Displacement Induced by a Short Laser Pulse

Area of Science:

• Laser-matter interactions
• Quantum dynamics
• Attosecond science

Background:

• Previous research focused on electron momentum changes in laser-matter interactions.
• Experimental determination of ultrashort pulse waveforms is challenging.
• Understanding electron displacement is crucial for controlling charge migration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To theoretically investigate electron displacement induced by ultrashort laser pulses.
• To propose and demonstrate a novel scheme for accurately measuring electron displacement.
• To enable quantitative control of charge migration in matter.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical investigation of electron displacement.
• Numerical demonstration of a measurement scheme.
• Utilizing interfering spirals in photoelectron momentum distributions.
• Employing two oppositely circularly polarized pulses.

Main Results:

• A robust scheme to measure electron displacement was proposed and demonstrated.
• The method uses a "ruler" formed by interfering spirals.
• The scheme is resilient to focusing volume effects and carrier-envelope phase jitter.

Conclusions:

• The proposed scheme enables accurate measurement of electron displacement.
• This technique may lead to quantitative control of charge migration at the Ångström scale.
• Opens new avenues for ultrafast electron dynamics research.