2015, Schulz, Claus Peter, Birkner, Sascha, Furch, Federico J., Anderson, Alexandria, Mikosch, Jochen, Schell, Felix, Vrakking, Marc J. J.

Strong field ionization of small hydrocarbon chains is studied in a kinematic complete experiment using a reaction microscope. By coincidence detection of ions and electrons different ionization continua populated during the ionization process are identified. In addition, photoelectron momentum distributions from laser-aligned molecules allow to characterize the electron wavepackets emerging from different Dyson orbitals.

2018, Schell, Felix, Bredtmann, Timm, Schulz, Claus Peter, Patchkovskii, Serguei, Vrakking, Marc J. J., Mikosch, Jochen

Electrons released by strong-field ionization from atoms and molecules or in solids can be accelerated in the oscillating laser field and driven back to their ion core. The ensuing interaction, phase-locked to the optical cycle, initiates the central processes underlying attosecond science. A common assumption assigns a single, welldefined return direction to the recolliding electron. We study laser-induced electron rescattering associated with two different ionization continua in the same, spatially aligned, polyatomic molecule. We show by experiment and theory that the electron return probability is molecular frame-dependent and carries structural information on the ionized orbital. The returning wave packet structure has to be accounted for in analyzing strong-field spectroscopy experiments that critically depend on the interaction of the laser-driven continuum electron, such as laser-induced electron diffraction.