Sub-femtosecond optical control of entangled states

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates sub-femtosecond optical control over the emission direction of photoelectrons in hydrogen molecule dissociation, exploiting electron entanglement to achieve adjustable emission asymmetry.

Contribution

It introduces a method to control electron emission direction in molecular dissociation using combined XUV and IR pulses with sub-femtosecond precision, highlighting entanglement effects.

Findings

Emission direction can be controlled by laser delay

Electron entanglement influences emission asymmetry

Sub-femtosecond timing achieves precise control

Abstract

For photo-dissociation of a single hydrogen molecule (H2) with combined XUV and IR laser pulses, we demonstrate optical control of the emission direction of the photoelectron with respect to the outgoing neutral fragment (the H-atom). Depending on the relative delay between the two laser fields, adjustable with sub-femtosecond time resolution, the photoelectron is emitted into the same hemisphere as the H-atom or opposite. This emission asymmetry is a result of entanglement of the two-electron final-state involving the spatially separated bound and emitted electron.