Atomic wavefunctions probed through strong-field light-matterinteraction

Abstract

Strong-field light-matter interactions can encode the spatial properties of the electronic wavefunctions that contribute to the process. In particular, the broadband harmonic spectra, measured for a series of molecular alignments, can be used to create a tomographic reconstruction of molecular orbitals. Here, we present an extension of the tomography approach to systems that cannot be naturally aligned. We demonstrate this ability by probing the two-dimensional properties of atomic wavefunctions. By manipulating an electron-ion recollision process, we are able to resolve the symmetry of the atomic wavefunction with high contrast. © 2009 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.