Electron wave function entanglement and spin reconfiguration as source of electron correlation are investigated. Properties of correlation function are shown to have the best concordance with experimental data under supposition that probability of change of electron state to triplet state is about 0.5 or more.
Entanglement between two electrons belonging to an auto-ionization system and a neighbor two-level atom produced by the dipole-dipole interaction is studied. The entanglement is quantified using the quadratic negativity of a bipartite system including the continuum of states. Suitable conditions for the generation of highly entangled states of two electrons are revealed. Internal structure of the entanglement is elucidated using the spectral density of quadratic negativity.
Two auto-ionization systems in a stationary optical field mutually interacting via the dipole-dipole interaction are considered. Their evolution is analytically found. Joint spectra of two ionized electrons are analyzed in detail in the long-time limit for comparable strengths of direct and indirect ionization paths as well as the dominating indirect ionization path. Entanglement in the state of two ionized electrons is quantified using the density of quadratic negativity. Suitable conditions for obtaining highly entangled states are discussed.
The ultrafast electronic and nuclear dynamics of H2 laser-induced double ionization is studied using a time-dependent wave packet approach that goes beyond the fixed nuclei approximation. The double ionization pathways are analyzed by following the evolution of the total wave function during and after the pulse. The rescattering of the first ionized electron produces a coherent superposition of excited molecular states which presents a pronounced transient H+H- character. This attosecond excitation is followed by field-induced double ionization and by the formation of short-lived autoionizing …
We investigate the time-evolution of quantum entanglement between an electron, liberated by a strong few-cycle laser pulse, and its parent ion-core. Since the standard procedure is numerically prohibitive in this case, we propose a novel way to quantify the quantum correlation in such a system: we use the reduced density matrices of the directional subspaces along the polarization of the laser pulse and along the transverse directions as building blocks for an approximate entanglement entropy. We present our results, based on accurate numerical simulations, in terms of several of these entropi…
We show that interference phenomena plays a big role for the electron yield in ionization of atoms by an ultra-short laser pulse. Our theoretical study of single ionization of atoms driven by few-cycles pulses extends the photoelectron spectrum observed in the double-slit experiment by Lindner et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{95}, 040401 (2005) to a complete three-dimensional momentum picture. We show that different wave packets corresponding to the same single electron released at different times interfere, forming interference fringes in the two-dimensional momentum distributions. These struc…
The aim of this paper is two-fold. First, we present a phase space perspective on long range double ionization in a one dimensional model of helium. The dynamics is simulated with the periodic von Neumann (PvB) method, an exact quantum method based on a lattice of phase space Gaussians. Second, we benchmark the method by comparing to the Multiconfiguration Time-dependent Hartree method. The PvB approach is found to be faster than the standard MCTDH code for the dynamics calculations and to give better accuracy control.
We demonstrate entanglement between the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of two photoelectrons ionized via the strongly correlated process of non-sequential double ionization (NSDI). Due to the quantization of OAM, this entanglement is easily quantified and has a simple physical interpretation in terms of conservation laws. We explore detection by an entanglement witness, decomposable into local measurements, which strongly reduces the difficulty of experimental implementation. We compute the logarithmic negativity measure, which is directly applicable to mixed states, to demonstrate that the en…
Light-matter entanglement plays a fundamental role in many applications of quantum information science. Thus, finding processes where it can be observed is an important task. Here, we address this matter by theoretically investigating the entanglement between light and electrons generated in above-threshold ionization (ATI) process. The study is based on the back-action of the ATI process on the quantum optical state of the system, and its dependence on the kinetic energy and direction of the emitted photoelectrons. Taking into account the dynamics of the process, we demonstrate the creation o…
Without a formal derivation, we propose a formula for the total and single-differential cross in the problem of one-photon double ionization of an atom. The formula is benchmarked against accurate experimental data for the total cross section of helium. Furthermore, a direct comparison with ab initio calculations for the double ionization of Li+ suggests that the framework is valid for the entire helium isoelectronic sequence. To this end, we introduce a formula for the double ionization of lithium, as well as for the triple ionization of lithium and beryllium.
The temporal dynamics of double ionization of H2 has been investigated both experimentally and theoretically with few-cycle laser pulses. The main observables are the proton spectra associated to the H^+ + H^+ fragmentation channel. The model is based on the time-dependent Schrödinger equation and treats on the same level the electronic and nuclear coordinates. Therefore it allows to follow the ultrafast nuclear dynamics as a function of the laser pulse duration, carrier-envelope phase offset and peak intensity. We mainly report results in the sequential double ionization regime above 2 10^{14…
In this paper, we study the generation of entanglement in a double-$Λ$ system. Employing standard method of laser theory, we deduce the dynamic evolution equation of the two-mode field. We analyze the available entanglement criterion for double-$Λ$ system and the condition of entanglement existence. Our results show that under proper parameters, the two-mode field can entangled and amlified.
We develop an approximate model for the process of direct (nonsequential) two-photon double ionization of atoms. Employing the model, we calculate (generalized) total cross sections as well as energy-resolved differential cross sections of helium for photon energies ranging from 39 to 54 eV. A comparison with results of \textit{ab initio} calculations reveals that the agreement is at a quantitative level. We thus demonstrate that this complex ionization process is fully described by the simple model, providing insight into the underlying physical mechanism. Finally, we use the model to calcula…
We investigate entanglement dynamics and properties of double Jaynes-Cummings model. In particular we study the dynamics of double Jaynes-Cummings model based on geometric invariants for four qubits. We show that these geometric invariants provide us with useful information about different types of entanglement during the quantum evolution of the system.
Double-slit experiment very well lends itself in describing the problem of measuring simultaneously incompatible properties. In such a context, we theoretically design an ideal experiment for spin-7/2 particles, able to produce the entanglement which makes possible the detection.
The effect of the Pauli exclusion principle on double ionization of He atoms by strong, linearly polarized laser pulses is analyzed. We show that correlated electron escape, with electron momenta symmetric with respect to the field polarization axis, is suppressed if atoms are initially prepared in the metastable state 3S. The effect is a consequence of selection rules for the transition to the appropriate outgoing two-electron states. We illustrate the suppression in numerical calculations of electron and ion momentum distributions within a reduced dimensionality model.
We discuss the final stages of double ionization of atoms in a strong linearly polarized laser field within a classical model. We propose that all trajectories leading to non-sequential double ionization pass close to a saddle in phase space which we identify and characterize. The saddle lies in a two degree of freedom subspace of symmetrically escaping electrons. The distribution of longitudinal momenta of ions as calculated within the subspace shows the double hump structure observed in experiments. Including a symmetric bending mode of the electrons allows us to reproduce the transverse ion…
The process of nonsequential two-photon double ionization of helium is studied by two complementary numerical approaches. First, the time-dependent Schr{ö}dinger equation is solved and the final wave function is analyzed in terms of projection onto eigenstates of the uncorrelated Hamiltonian, i.e., with no electron-electron interaction included in the final states. Then, the double ionization probability is found by means of a recently developed approach in which the concept of absorbing boundaries has been generalized to apply to systems consisting of more than one particle. This generalizati…
We calculate various differential and double differential characteristics of ionization by a single photon for H$^-$, He and for the two-electron ions with Z=3,4,5 in the region of the so-called quasi-free mechanism (QFM) domination. We employ highly accurate wave functions at the electron-electron coalescence line where coordinates of both ionized electrons coincide. We trace the Z dependence for the double differential distribution. For all considered targets we discuss the dependence of the photoelectron energy distribution on the photon energy. Our calculation demonstrated the rapid decrea…
We perform theoretical investigations of laser-induced nonsequential double ionization with few cycle pulses, with particular emphasis on the dependence of the electron-momentum distributions on the carrier-envelope phase. We focus on the recollision-excitation with subsequent tunneling ionization (RESI) pathway, in which a released electron, upon return to its parent ion, gives part of its kinetic energy to promote a second electron to an excited state. At a subsequent time, the second electron is freed through tunneling ionization. We show that the RESI electron-momentum distributions vary d…
We analyze two-photon double ionization of helium in both the nonsequential and sequential regime. We show that the energy spacing between the two emitted electrons provides the key parameter that controls both the energy and the angular distribution and reveals the universal features present in both the nonsequential and sequential regime. This universality, i.e., independence of photon energy, is a manifestation of the continuity across the threshold for sequential double ionization. For all photon energies, the energy distribution can be described by a universal shape function that contains…
Recently introduced time-dependent renormalized natural orbital theory (TDRNOT) is tested on non-sequential double ionization (NSDI) of a numerically exactly solvable one-dimensional model He atom subject to few-cycle, 800-nm laser pulses. NSDI of atoms in strong laser fields is a prime example of non-perturbative, highly correlated electron dynamics. As such, NSDI is an important "worst-case" benchmark for any time-dependent few and many-body technique beyond linear response. It is found that TDRNOT reproduces the celebrated NSDI "knee," i.e., a many-order-of-magnitude enhancement of the doub…
We present a joint experimental and theoretical study of non-sequential double ionization (NSDI) in argon driven by a 3100-nm laser source. The correlated photoelectron momentum distribution (PMD) shows a strong dependence on the pulse duration, and the evolution of the PMD can be explained by an envelope-induced intensity effect. Determined by the time difference between tunneling and rescattering, the laser vector potential at the ionization time of the bound electron will be influenced by the pulse duration, leading to different drift momenta. Such a mechanism is extracted through a classic…
We show that ionization of noble gas atoms by strong infrared circularly polarized laser field under standard exerimental conditions can yield electrons with up to 100% spin polarization in energy resolved measurements. Spin polarization arises due to the interplay of the electron-core entanglement and the sensitivity of ionization in circularly polarized fields to the sense of electron rotation in the initial state.
Nonradiative energy dissipation in electronically excited polyatomic molecules proceeds through conical intersections, loci of degeneracy between electronic states. We observe a marked enhancement of laser-induced double ionization in the vicinity of a conical intersection during a non-radiative transition. We measured double ionization by detecting the kinetic energy of ions released by laser-induced strong-field fragmentation during the ring-opening transition between 1,3-cyclohexadiene and 1,3,5-hexatriene. The enhancement of the double ionization correlates with the conical intersection be…