Photoionization Microscopy

Abstract

We present the first experimental results of a technique called photoionization microscopy. Photoelectrons ejected in threshold photoionization of Xe are detected in a velocity map imaging apparatus, and interferences between various trajectories by which the electron moves from the atom to the detector are observed. The structure of the interference pattern, which contains the transverse component of the electronic wave function, evolves smoothly with the excess energy above the saddle point. The main observed features are interpreted within the framework of the semiclassical approximation.

Photoionization of Rydberg hydrogen atom in a magnetic field

“…Blondel et al firstly studied the photodetachment microscopy of Br − in an electric field and then to O − [9,10]. The observation of the atomic system's wave function has recently been developed into an experimental technique, called photoionization microscopy [11][12][13]. In the photoionization microscopy, the image formed by the electron on the detector is the square modulus of the transverse component of the electronic wave function.…”

The photoelectric effect in external fields

“…The photoelectric effect in neutral atoms subject to external fields reveals similarly intriguing interference phenomena [30]. Their interpretation has led to a new understanding of classical periodic orbits, and their bifurcation and proliferation as order changes to chaos [31,32,33,34,35,36].…”

Photodetachment microscopy in time-dependent fields

“…These studies have developed in a whole field called "photodetachment microscopy". Similar studies with neutral atoms [16][17][18][19][20][21][22] are called "photoionization microscopy". Replacing static electric fields with low-frequency, particular radiofrequency, fields adds new interesting physics [23][24][25][26] which was investigated in several recent theoretical studies [27][28][29][30][31].…”