Reconstruction of tunnel exit time and exit momentum in strong field ionization, based on phase space methods

TL;DR

This paper introduces a phase space method using the Wigner function to accurately reconstruct tunnel exit time and momentum in strong field ionization, enhancing classical trajectory models with quantum-informed initial conditions.

Contribution

It presents a novel analytic formula for reconstructing tunnel exit parameters from measurable electron momentum data, bridging quantum and classical descriptions.

Findings

Improved classical trajectories based on quantum momentum functions

Accurate reconstruction of tunnel exit time and momentum from experimental data

Enhanced understanding of electron dynamics in strong field ionization

Abstract

We analyze tunnel ionization of a single atom based on the Wigner function over the classical phase space which inspires improved classical electron trajectories: these start with exit momenta based on the quantum momentum function and correspond very well to the subsequent quantum evolution. We derive an approximate analytic formula to reconstruct the tunnel exit time and exit momentum from electron momentum data that can be measured e.g. with a usual time-of-flight electron detector.