Transient Valence Charge Localization in Strong-Field Dissociative Ionization of HCl Molecules

Junyang Ma, Liang Xu, Hongcheng Ni, Chenxu Lu, Wenbin Zhang, Peifen Lu, Jin Wen, Feng He, Olivier Faucher, and Jian Wu
Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 183201 – Published 26 October 2021
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Abstract

Probing transient charge localization in the innershell orbital of atoms and molecules has been made possible by the recent progress of advanced light sources. Here, we demonstrate that the ultrafast electron tunneling ionization by an intense femtosecond laser pulse could induce an asymmetric transient charge localization in the valence shell of the HCl molecule during the dissociative ionization process. The transient charge localization is encoded in the laser impulse acquired by the outgoing ionic fragments, and the asymmetry is revealed by carefully examining the electron tunneling-site distinguished momentum angular distribution of the ejected H+ fragments. Our work proposes a way to visualize the transient valence charge motion and will stimulate further investigations of the tunneling-site-sensitive ultrafast dynamics of molecules in strong laser fields.

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  • Received 21 October 2020
  • Revised 6 September 2021
  • Accepted 27 September 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.183201

© 2021 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & Optical

Authors & Affiliations

Junyang Ma1,2, Liang Xu3,4, Hongcheng Ni1,5,*, Chenxu Lu1, Wenbin Zhang1, Peifen Lu1, Jin Wen6, Feng He3,7, Olivier Faucher2, and Jian Wu1,5,7,†

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
  • 2Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire CARNOT de Bourgogne, UMR 6303 CNRS-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, BP 47870, 21078 Dijon, France
  • 3Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (Ministry of Education) and School of Physics and Astronomy, Collaborative Innovation Center for IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
  • 4Shanghai Key Lab of Modern Optical System, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
  • 5Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
  • 6State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials and College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
  • 7CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-intense Laser Science, Shanghai 201800, China

  • *hcni@lps.ecnu.edu.cn
  • jwu@phy.ecnu.edu.cn

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Issue

Vol. 127, Iss. 18 — 29 October 2021

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