Laser Dressed Scattering of an Attosecond Electron Wave Packet

TL;DR

This paper theoretically explores how an infrared laser field influences the scattering of an attosecond electron wave packet, revealing new interference effects and proposing a trajectory-based model for accurate spectral predictions.

Contribution

It introduces a quasi-classical trajectory model that better describes laser-dressed electron scattering than the traditional Coulomb-Volkov approximation.

Findings

Laser field controls electron motion during scattering.

Interference patterns are significantly affected by laser dressing.

The new model accurately predicts spectral modifications.

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the scattering of an attosecond electron wave packet launched by an attosecond pulse under the influence of an infrared laser field. As the electron scatters inside a spatially extended system, the dressing laser field controls its motion. We show that this interaction, which lasts just a few hundreds of attoseconds, clearly manifests itself in the spectral interference pattern between different quantum pathways taken by the outgoing electron. We find that the Coulomb-Volkov approximation, a standard expression used to describe laser-dressed photoionization, cannot properly describe this interference pattern. We introduce a quasi-classical model, based on electron trajectories, which quantitatively explains the laser-dressed photoelectron spectra, notably the laser-induced changes in the spectral interference pattern.