Open AccessRetrieving the excitation and polarization configurations in Coulomb explosion of a trimer driven by strong laser field
Author(s) -
Zhao Yuan,
Difa Ye,
Yuqiu Gu,
Jie Liu,
Libin Fu
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.27.003180
Subject(s) - coulomb explosion , attosecond , physics , laser , excitation , femtosecond , atomic physics , high harmonic generation , polarization (electrochemistry) , ionization , electron , ultrashort pulse , double ionization , optics , ion , chemistry , quantum mechanics
Ultrafast imaging and manipulating transient molecular structures in chemical reactions and photobiological processes is a fundamental but challenging goal for scientists. Theoretically, the challenge originates from the complex multiple-time-scale correlated electron dynamics and their coupling with the nuclei. Here, we employ classical polyatomic models for this kind of study and take the Coulomb explosion of argon and neon trimers in strong laser fields as an illuminating example. Our results demonstrate that the degree of asymmetry on the kinetic energy release (KER) spectrum, together with a Dalitz plot, constitutes a powerful tool for retrieving the ionization, excitation, and polarization configurations (femtosecond-to-attosecond time-scale electron dynamics) of trimers under strong-field radiation.