Search Results
Charge transfer to ground-state ions produces free electrons
2017, You, D., Fukuzawa, H., Sakakibara, Y., Takanashi, T., Ito, Y., Maliyar, G G., Motomura, K., Nagaya, K., Nishiyama, T., Asa, K., Sato, Y., Saito, N., Oura, M., Schöffler, M., Kastirke, G., Hergenhahn, U., Stumpf, V., Gokhberg, K., Kuleff, A.I., Cederbaum, L.S., Ueda, K
Inner-shell ionization of an isolated atom typically leads to Auger decay. In an environment, for example, a liquid or a van der Waals bonded system, this process will be modified, and becomes part of a complex cascade of relaxation steps. Understanding these steps is important, as they determine the production of slow electrons and singly charged radicals, the most abundant products in radiation chemistry. In this communication, we present experimental evidence for a so-far unobserved, but potentially very important step in such relaxation cascades: Multiply charged ionic states after Auger decay may partially be neutralized by electron transfer, simultaneously evoking the creation of a low-energy free electron (electron transfer-mediated decay). This process is effective even after Auger decay into the dicationic ground state. In our experiment, we observe the decay of Ne2+ produced after Ne 1s photoionization in Ne-Kr mixed clusters.
Kinematic origin for near-zero energy structures in mid-IR strong field ionization
2016, Pisanty, Emilio, Ivanov, Misha
We propose and discuss a kinematic mechanism underlying the recently discovered 'near-zero energy structure' in the photoionization of atoms in strong mid-infrared laser fields, based on trajectories which revisit the ion at low velocities exactly analogous to the series responsible for low-energy structures. The different scaling of the new series, as $E\sim {I}_{p}^{2}/{U}_{p}$, suggests that the near-zero energy structure can be lifted to higher energies, where it can be better resolved and studied, using harder targets with higher ionization potential.
Symmetry breaking and strong persistent plasma currents via resonant destabilization of atoms
2017, Brée, Carsten, Hofmann, Michael, Babushkin, Ihar, Demircan, Ayhan, Morgner, Uwe, Kosareva, Olga G., Savelev, Andrei B., Husakou, Anton, Ivanov, Misha
The ionization rate of an atom in a strong optical field can be resonantly enhanced by the presence of long-living atomic levels (so called Freeman resonances). This process is most prominent in the multiphoton ionization regime meaning that ionization event takes many optical cycles. Nevertheless, here we show that these resonances can lead to fast subcycle-scale plasma buildup at the resonant values of the intensity in the pump pulse. The fast buildup can break the cycletocycle symmetry of the ionization process, resulting in generation of persistent macroscopic plasma currents which remain after the end of the pulse. This, in turn, gives rise to a broadband radiation of unusual spectral structure forming a comb from terahertz (THz) to visible. This radiation contains fingerprints of the attosecond electronic dynamics in Rydberg states during ionization.