Title
Using Circular Dichroism to Control Energy Transfer in Multiphoton Ionization
Authors
A H. De Silva, Physics Department and LAMOR, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, Missouri 65409, USA.
D Atri-Schuller, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa 50311, USA.
S Dubey, Physics Department and LAMOR, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, Missouri 65409, USA.
B P. Acharya, Physics Department and LAMOR, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, Missouri 65409, USA.
K L. Romans, Physics Department and LAMOR, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, Missouri 65409, USA.
K Foster, Physics Department and LAMOR, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, Missouri 65409, USA.
O Russ, Physics Department and LAMOR, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, Missouri 65409, USA.
K Compton, Physics Department and LAMOR, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, Missouri 65409, USA.
C Rischbieter, Physics Department and LAMOR, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, Missouri 65409, USA.
N Douguet, Kennesaw State University
K Bartschat, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa 50311, USA.
D Fischer, Physics Department and LAMOR, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, Missouri 65409, USA.
Publication Date
1-15-2021
Abstract
Chirality causes symmetry breaks in a large variety of natural phenomena ranging from particle physics to biochemistry. We investigate one of the simplest conceivable chiral systems, a laser-excited, oriented, effective one-electron Li target. Prepared in a polarized p state with |m|=1 in an optical trap, the atoms are exposed to co- and counterrotating circularly polarized femtosecond laser pulses. For a field frequency near the excitation energy of the oriented initial state, a strong circular dichroism is observed and the photoelectron energies are significantly affected by the helicity-dependent Autler-Townes splitting. Besides its fundamental relevance, this system is suited to create spin-polarized electron pulses with a reversible switch on a femtosecond timescale at an energy resolution of a few meV.
Journal Title
Physical review letters
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.023201
