Above-threshold ionization by polarization-crafted pulses

Abstract

Coherent light has revolutionized scientific research, spanning biology, chemistry, and physics.To delve into ultrafast phenomena, the development of high-energy, high-tunable light sources isinstrumental. Here, the photo-electric effect is a pivotal tool for dissecting electron correlationsand system structures. Particularly, above-threshold ionization (ATI), characterized by the simul-taneous absorption of several photons leading to a final electron energy well above the ionizationthreshold, has been widely explored, both theoretical and experimentally. ATI decouples laser fieldeffects from the structural information carried by photoelectrons, particularly when utilizing ultra-short pulses. In this contribution we study ATI driven by polarization-crafted (PC) pulses, whichoffer precise scanning over the electron momentum, through an accurate change of the polarization state. PC pulses enable the manipulation of photoelectron momentum distributions, opening up new avenues for understanding and harnessing coherent light. Our work explores how structured light could allow for a proper understanding of emitted photoelectrons momentum distributions in order to distinguish between light structure effects and target structure effects.