Electron diffraction in above-threshold ionization of molecules

We calculate the spectra and angular distributions of electrons from ionization of two-center molecules in linearly polarized strong laser pulses. A fully numerical quantum-mechanical method is compared to a simple semiclassical model designed to describe the diffraction of electrons when they recollide with the two-center core. Within both approaches, clear signatures of diffraction are found in the angular distributions. We discuss the dependence of electron diffraction on the internuclear distance and on the molecular orientation.