Shepherd electron effects in multiple ionization of rubidium by circularly polarized intense laser fields
Abstract Nonsequential double/multiple ionization (NSDI/NSMI) of atoms in strong laser fields is a paradigm system for studying field-intervened electron-electron correlation. However, there exists a long-standing debated topic as to how NSDI/NSMI is triggered in a circularly-polarized laser field....
| Hauptverfasser: | , , , |
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| Format: | Artikel |
| Sprache: | English |
| Veröffentlicht: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-10-01
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| Schriftenreihe: | Communications Physics |
| Online Zugang: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-023-01392-w |
| Zusammenfassung: | Abstract Nonsequential double/multiple ionization (NSDI/NSMI) of atoms in strong laser fields is a paradigm system for studying field-intervened electron-electron correlation. However, there exists a long-standing debated topic as to how NSDI/NSMI is triggered in a circularly-polarized laser field. In this contribution, it is shown counter-intuitively that the NSMI of alkali atoms is strongly enhanced due to a mechanism induced by their intrinsic shell structure, coined as the shepherd electron effect. Specifically, we find that the early-released outermost electron (the shepherd electron) can be stabilized on the Rydberg states even after dislodging some other inner-shell electrons and thus lead to the emergence of a transient hollow atom. Experimental signatures of the shepherd electron effect and its real-time observation with the attoclock technique are discussed. These results have substantially enriched our understanding of NSMI, beyond the well-accepted cascade recollision picture. They might have applications in coherent extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) light amplification. |
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| ISSN: | 2399-3650 |