Chapter 3
Bichromatic Control of Free Electron
Wave Packets
Stefanie Kerbstadt, Kevin Eickhoff, Tim Bayer, and Matthias Wollenhaupt
Abstract We report on recent developments in coherent control of ultrafast photoionization dynamics with ultrashort polarization-shaped bichromatic pulse
sequences. In the experiments, a novel pulse shaping scheme for the generation of
Bichromatic Carrier-Envelope phase-stable Polarization-tailored Supercontinuum
(BiCEPS) fields is combined with high-resolution photoelectron tomography to
create, manipulate and reconstruct three-dimensional free electron wave packets
from atomic multiphoton ionization. Examples for coherent control with bichromatic polarization-shaped pulse sequences are presented, including the generation
of unusual angular momentum superposition states, carrier-envelope phase control
of directional photoemission, the creation and manipulation of photoelectron vortices and electron wave packets with odd-numbered rotational symmetry as well as
studies on ultrafast Rydberg and spin-orbit wave packet dynamics.
3.1 Introduction
The physical principles of quantum control by coherent light were developed more
than 30 years ago [1, 2]. Essentially, the manipulation of interfering matter waves by
tailored coherent light fields is the key to controlled quantum dynamics [3]. Today,
coherent control by shaped femtosecond pulses is an established field in physics
and chemistry that has been reviewed by many authors (see for example [4–8] and
references therein). Recent developments in coherent control have been stimulated by
refined experimental techniques for highly differential electron detection [9, 10] and
advanced laser pulse shaping schemes [11]. For example, advances in pulse shaping
has been achieved by common-path setups for full control over the vectorial electric
field of ultrashort pulses [12–16], shaper-based bichromatic shaping [17] and by
S. Kerbstadt · K. Eickhoff · T. Bayer · M. Wollenhaupt (B)
Institut für Physik, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße 9-11,
26129 Oldenburg, Germany
e-mail: Matthias.Wollenhaupt@uni-oldenburg.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
K. Yamanouchi and D. Charalambidis (eds.), Progress in Ultrafast
Intense Laser Science XV, Topics in Applied Physics 136,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47098-2_3
43
Bichromatic Control of Free Electron
Wave Packets
Stefanie Kerbstadt, Kevin Eickhoff, Tim Bayer, and Matthias Wollenhaupt
Abstract We report on recent developments in coherent control of ultrafast photoionization dynamics with ultrashort polarization-shaped bichromatic pulse
sequences. In the experiments, a novel pulse shaping scheme for the generation of
Bichromatic Carrier-Envelope phase-stable Polarization-tailored Supercontinuum
(BiCEPS) fields is combined with high-resolution photoelectron tomography to
create, manipulate and reconstruct three-dimensional free electron wave packets
from atomic multiphoton ionization. Examples for coherent control with bichromatic polarization-shaped pulse sequences are presented, including the generation
of unusual angular momentum superposition states, carrier-envelope phase control
of directional photoemission, the creation and manipulation of photoelectron vortices and electron wave packets with odd-numbered rotational symmetry as well as
studies on ultrafast Rydberg and spin-orbit wave packet dynamics.
3.1 Introduction
The physical principles of quantum control by coherent light were developed more
than 30 years ago [1, 2]. Essentially, the manipulation of interfering matter waves by
tailored coherent light fields is the key to controlled quantum dynamics [3]. Today,
coherent control by shaped femtosecond pulses is an established field in physics
and chemistry that has been reviewed by many authors (see for example [4–8] and
references therein). Recent developments in coherent control have been stimulated by
refined experimental techniques for highly differential electron detection [9, 10] and
advanced laser pulse shaping schemes [11]. For example, advances in pulse shaping
has been achieved by common-path setups for full control over the vectorial electric
field of ultrashort pulses [12–16], shaper-based bichromatic shaping [17] and by
S. Kerbstadt · K. Eickhoff · T. Bayer · M. Wollenhaupt (B)
Institut für Physik, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße 9-11,
26129 Oldenburg, Germany
e-mail: Matthias.Wollenhaupt@uni-oldenburg.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
K. Yamanouchi and D. Charalambidis (eds.), Progress in Ultrafast
Intense Laser Science XV, Topics in Applied Physics 136,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47098-2_3
43