Electron impact ionization in the presence of a laser field: a kinematically complete (ngammae,2e) experiment

On Laser-Modified Rutherford Scattering

We present a theoretical analysis of a charged-particle scattering by a Coulomb potential in the presence of laser radiation. The effect of a laser field is studied using our recently developed nonperturbative parabolic quasi-Sturmian approach for solving the system of coupled Lippmann–Schwinger–Floquet equations in the Kramers–Henneberger frame. We calculate the ratio of multiphoton differential cross sections to the Rutherford cross section in the case of a laser-assisted electron-proton scattering process. Our results are compared with predictions of the Bunkin–Fedorov, Kroll–Watson, and Coulomb–Volkov analytical approximations: marked discrepancies are found for different net numbers of exchanged photons and different orientations of the laser-field polarization vector. Our findings clearly demonstrate deficiencies of those well-known approximations for describing laser-modified Rutherford scattering processes.

Laser-Assisted (e, 2e) Collisions in the Symmetric/Asymmetric Coplanar Geometry

In this review, we present a comprehensive survey of laser-assisted (e, 2e) reactions. The influence of a laser field on the dynamics of (e, 2e) collisions in atomic hydrogen is analyzed in the symmetric and asymmetric coplanar geometries. Particular attention is devoted to the construction of the dressed (laser-modified) target wave functions, in both the initial and final states. The calculation is performed in the framework of Coulomb-Volkov-Born approximation, where the initial and final electrons are described by Volkov wave functions, while the interaction of the incident electron with the target atom is treated in the first and the second Born approximation. The state of the ejected electron is described by a Volkov/Coulomb-Volkov wave function. A detailed account is also given of the techniques we have used to evaluate the scattering amplitudes. The influence of the laser parameters (frequency, intensity, and direction of polarization) on the angular distribution of the ejected electron is discussed, and a number of illustrative examples are given. The structure of the triple differential cross section in the vicinity of resonances is also analyzed.

Development of an apparatus for femtosecond laser-assisted (e,2e) experiments

We developed an electron scattering apparatus equipped with dual angle-resolved time-of-flight analyzers designed for laser-assisted (e,2e) experiments, with which atomic and molecular orbitals influenced by intense laser fields can be investigated.

A subnanosecond pulsed ion source for micrometer focused ion beams

A new, compact design of an ion source delivers nanosecond pulsed ion beams with low emittance, which can be focused to micrometer size. By using a high-power, 25 fs laser pulse focused into a gas region of 10(-6) mbar, ions at very low temperatures are produced in the small laser focal volume of 5 mum diameter by 20 mum length through multiphoton ionization. These ions are created in a cold environment, not in a hot plasma, and, since the ionization process itself does not significantly heat them, have as a result essentially room temperature. The generated ion pulse, up to several thousand ions per pulse, is extracted from the source volume with ion optical elements that have been carefully designed by simulation calculations. Externally triggered, its subnanosecond duration and even smaller time jitter allow it to be superimposed with other pulsed particle or laser beams. It therefore can be combined with any type of collision experiment where the size and the time structure of the projectile beam crucially affect the achievable experimental resolution.

Laser-assisted positron-impact ionization of atomic hydrogen

We study the ionization of atomic hydrogen by a fast positron in the presence of an external linearly polarized laser field. We concentrate on the limit of a small momentum transfer and describe the fast positron's continuum states by Volkov wave functions. The ejected electron is described by a Coulomb-Volkov wave function. We are limited to small laser intensities such that the dressed state of the target is treatable within the time-dependent perturbation theory, even though the laser intensity is still quite high by laboratory standards. Numerical results for the triply differential cross sections and their dependencies on laser-field parameters are discussed and compared with the results of laser-assisted ionization by electron impact.