Controlling Below-Threshold Nonsequential Double Ionization via Quantum Interference

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how quantum interference can be used to control the electron momentum distributions in non-sequential double ionization, enabling manipulation of electron correlation patterns at intensities below the ionization threshold.

Contribution

It introduces a simulation-based method to control RESI mechanisms through quantum interference, reproducing experimental results and analyzing different interference sources.

Findings

Quantum interference can shift electron momentum distributions from correlated to anti-correlated.

Control over RESI electron distributions is possible at sub-threshold intensities.

Simulation reproduces recent experimental observations.

Abstract

We show through simulation that quantum interference in non-sequential double ionization can be used to control the recollision with subsequent ionization (RESI) mechanism. This includes the shape, localization and symmetry of RESI electron-momentum distributions, which may be shifted from a correlated to an anti-correlated distribution or vice versa, far below the direct ionization threshold intensity. As a testing ground, we reproduce recent experimental results by employing specific coherent superpositions of excitation channels. We examine two types of interference, from electron indistinguishability and intra-cycle events, and from different excitation channels.