Enhanced chiral-sensitivity of Coulomb-focused electrons in strong field ionization
Résumé
Strong-field light-matter interactions initiate a wide range of phenomena in which the quantum
paths of electronic wavepackets can be manipulated by tailoring the laser field. Among the electrons
released by a strong laser pulse from atomic and molecular targets, some are subsequently driven
back to the vicinity of the ionic core by the oscillating laser field. The trajectories of these returning
electrons are bent towards the core by the ionic potential, an effect known as Coulomb focusing.
This process, studied over the past two decades, has been associated with the long range influence
of the Coulomb potential. Here we explore the structural properties of the Coulomb focusing
phenomenon. Specifically, we numerically study the sensitivity of the returning electron dynamics
to the anisotropy of the ionic potential. We employ orthogonally polarized two-color strong fields
and chiral molecules, whose asymmetric features lead to unambiguous fingerprints of the potential
on the freed electrons. The Coulomb-focused electrons show an enhanced sensitivity to chirality,
related to an asymmetric attoclock-like angular streaking stemming from field-assisted scattering
of the electrons onto the chiral ionic potential. Anisotropic features of the ionic potential thus
monitor the motion of Coulomb-focused electrons throughout their returning paths, shedding light
on the structural properties of the interaction.
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