High visibility in two-color above-threshold photoemission from tungsten nanotips in a coherent control scheme

Abstract

In this article, we present coherent control of above-threshold photoemission from a tungsten nanotip achieving nearly perfect modulation. Depending on the pulse delay between fundamental (1560nm) and second harmonic (780nm) pulses of a femtosecond fiber laser at the nanotip, electron emission is significantly enhanced or depressed during temporal overlap. Electron emission is studied as a function of pulse delay, optical near-field intensities, DC bias field and final photoelectron energy. Under optimized conditions modulation amplitudes of the electron emission of 97.5% are achieved. Experimental observations are discussed in the framework of quantum-pathway interference supported by local density of states simulations.