Control of the production of highly charged ions in femtosecond-laser cluster fragmentation

S. Zamith (1) , T. Martchenko (1) , Y. Ni (1) , S. A. Aseyev (1) , H. G. Muller (1) , M. J. J. Vrakking (1)

1 AMOLF - FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics

We present the results of optimal-control experiments and calculations on the production of highly charged ions in intense laser field irradiation of large xenon clusters. Experimentally, a spectacular enhancement in the yield of highly charged ions is observed when clusters are subjected to an optimized laser field consisting of a sequence of two pulses, with a time delay that depends on the intensity of the laser and the size of the clusters. Similar results are obtained in optimal-control calculations, which demonstrate that the optimized pulse shape maximizes the efficiency of resonant heating.

Domaines: Agrégats Moléculaires et Atomiques [physics.atm-clus]; Optique [physics.optics]; Physique des plasmas [physics.plasm-ph]; Physique Atomique [physics.atom-ph]

S. Zamith, T. Martchenko, Y. Ni, S. A. Aseyev, H. G. Muller, et al.. Control of the production of highly charged ions in femtosecond-laser cluster fragmentation. Physical Review A : Atomic, molecular, and optical physics [1990-2015], 2004, 70, pp.011201(R). ⟨10.1103/PhysRevA.70.011201⟩. ⟨hal-00005063⟩