Attosecond streaking delays in multi-electron systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces a classical Wigner propagation method for attosecond streaking delays in multi-electron systems, effectively modeling electron dynamics and including multi-electron effects, with applications to molecules.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel classical Wigner propagation approach that combines quantum ionization with classical propagation, enabling analysis of streaking delays in complex multi-electron and molecular systems.

Findings

Method compares well with experimental data and quantum simulations.

Multi-electron effects are included in the model.

Directional dependence of streaking delays observed in molecules.

Abstract

The use of semiclassical models based on the Strong Field Approximation (SFA) is ubiquitous in strong field multi-photon ionization and underlies many key developments in attosecond science, including the description of High Harmonic Generation (HHG). However, such models are notably lacking in streaking experiments, which use an attosecond pulse to initiate single-photon ionization and a lower frequency infrared pulse to provide timing information. Here, we introduce a classical Wigner propagation (CWP) method, which analogously to semiclassical models in strong field ionization, treats the ionization step quantum mechanically, followed subsequently by classical propagation (with initial conditions obtained from the Wigner function) in the infrared probe field. As we demonstrate, this method compares well with experimental data and full two-electron quantum simulations available for helium, includes multi-electron effects, and can be applied to molecules, where the full solution of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation is not feasible. Applying the CWP method to a many-atom molecule, like 2,3,3-trimethyl-butyl-2-iodide, we find a relatively significant directional dependence of streaking delays, indicating the importance of orientation-resolved measurements in molecules.