Visualizing quantum entanglement and the EPR paradox during the photodissociation of a diatomic molecule using two ultrashort laser pulses

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical study of quantum entanglement visualization during H2+ molecule dissociation using ultrashort laser pulses, revealing interference patterns that demonstrate electron delocalization and nonlocality.

Contribution

It introduces a novel pump-probe scheme to visualize electron entanglement and nonlocality during molecular dissociation with detailed interference analysis.

Findings

Interference patterns depend on pump-probe delay and polarization.

The interference formula relates electron and proton momenta.

Visualization of electron delocalization over two centers.

Abstract

We investigate theoretically the dissociative ionization of a H2+ molecule using two ultrashort laser (pump-probe) pulses. The pump pulse prepares a dissociating nuclear wave packet on an ungerade surface of H2+. Next, an UV (or XUV) probe pulse ionizes this dissociating state at large (R = 20 - 100 bohr) internuclear distance. We calculate the momenta distributions of protons and photoelectrons which show a (two-slit-like) interference structure. A general, simple interference formula is obtained which depends on the electron and protons momenta, as well as on the pump-probe delay on the pulses durations and polarizations. This interference can be interpreted as visualization of an electron state delocalized over the two-centres. This state is an entangled state of a hydrogen atom with a momentum p and a proton with an opposite momentum. -p dissociating on the ungerade surface of H2+. This pump-probe scheme can be used to reveal the nonlocality of the electron which intuitively should be localized on just one of the protons separated by the distance R much larger than the atomic Bohr orbit.