arXiv subjects

Nida Haram

Publications and source records attributed to Nida Haram.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Multi-messenger tracking of coherence loss during bond breaking

Coupled electronic and nuclear motions govern chemical reactions, yet disentangling their interplay during bond rupture remains challenging. Here we follow the light-induced fragmentation of Br$_2$ using a coincidence-based multi-messenger approach. A UV pulse prepares the dissociative state, and strong-field ionization probes the evolving system. Coincident measurement of three-dimensional photoion and photoelectron momenta provides real-time access to both the instantaneous internuclear separation and the accompanying reorganization of the electronic structure, allowing us to determine the timescale of bond breaking. We find that electronic rearrangement concludes well before the nuclei reach the bond-breaking distance, revealing a hierarchy imposed by electron-nuclear coupling. Supported by semiclassical modelling, the results show that the stretched Br$_2$ molecule behaves as a two-centre interferometer in which the loss of coherence between atomic centres encodes the coupled evolution of electrons and nuclei. Our work establishes a general framework for imaging ultrafast electron-nuclear dynamics in molecules.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2025

High Harmonic Generation from a Noble Metal

High-harmonic generation (HHG) in solids has typically been explored in transparent dielectrics and semiconductors. Metals have long been dismissed due to their strong reflectivity at infrared wavelengths. Here, we demonstrate HHG from silver - a noble metal - using few-cycle near-infrared laser pulses at near-normal incidence. Our results show that sub-cycle electron dynamics within the material's penetration depth can drive high-order harmonics, challenging the prevailing notion that metals are unsuited for infrared-driven strong-field processes. Despite silver's high reflectivity and large free-electron density, we observe nonperturbative harmonics extending into the extreme ultraviolet (up to 20 eV). Moreover, silver's multi-shot damage threshold proves surprisingly high (30 TW/cm^2) - comparable to large-bandgap dielectrics like magnesium oxide - thereby enabling intense strong-field processes in a metallic environment. Measuring the orientation dependence of the emitted harmonics reveals that the process arises from coherent electron dynamics in the crystal lattice, rather than from a plasma-driven mechanism. Time-dependent density-matrix simulations based on maximally localized Wannier functions show that low-order harmonics predominantly originate from conduction electrons near the Fermi surface (s- and p-type orbitals), whereas higher harmonics rely on bound d-electron excitations. These findings establish metals - long thought unfavorable for HHG - as a promising platform for ultrafast strong-field physics, extending high-harmonic spectroscopy to regimes in which lattice order and plasma formation directly intersect. This work expands the frontier of solid-state HHG to all-metallic attosecond pulse generation and underscores the potential of metals as robust XUV sources for advanced attosecond metrology.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Attosecond delays of high harmonic emissions from isotopes of molecular hydrogen measured by Gouy phase XUV interferometer

High harmonic spectroscopy can access structural and dynamical information on molecular systems encoded in amplitude and phase of high harmonic generation (HHG) signals4. However, measurement of the harmonic phase is a daunting task. Here we present a precise measurement of HHG phase difference between two isotopes of molecular hydrogen using the advanced extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) Gouy phase interferometer. The measured phase difference is about 200 mrad, corresponding to 3 attoseconds (1 as = 10^-18 s) time delay which is nearly independent of harmonic order. The measurements agree very well with numerical calculations of a four-dimensional time-dependent Schroedinger equation. Numerical simulations also reveal the effects of molecular orientation and intra-molecular two-centre interference on the measured phase difference. This technique opens a new avenue for measuring the phase of harmonic emission for different atoms and molecules. Together with isomeric or isotopic comparisons it also enables the observation of subtle effects of molecular structures and nuclear motion on electron dynamics in strong laser fields.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2021

Strong field ionisation of Argon: Electron momentum spectra and nondipole effects

We investigate the influence of relativistic nondipole effects on the photoelectron spectra of argon, particularly in the low kinetic energy region (0 eV - 5 eV). In our experiment, we use intense linearly polarised 800 nm laser pulse to ionise Ar from a jet and we record photoelectron energy and momentum distributions using a reaction microscope (REMI). Our measurements show that nondipole effect can cause an energy-dependent asymmetry along the laser propagation direction in the photoelectron energy and momentum spectra. Model simulation based on time-dependent Dirac equation (TDDE) can reproduce our measurement results. The electron trajectory analysis based on classical model reveals that the photoelectron which obtains negative momentum shift along laser propagation direction is caused by the interplay between the Lorenz force induced radiation pressure during its free propagation in continuum and re-scattering by Coulomb potential of the parent ion when it is driven back by the laser field.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2019

Relativistic non-dipole effects in strong-field atomic ionization at moderate intensities

We present a detailed experimental and theoretical study on the relativistic non-dipole effects in strong-field atomic ionisation by near-infrared linearly-polarised few-cycle laser pulses in the intensity range 1014 -1015 W/cm2. We record high-resolution photoelectron momentum distributions of argon using a reaction microscope and compare our measurements with a truly ab-initio fully relativistic 3D model based on the time-dependent Dirac equation. We observe counter-intuitive peak shifts of the transverse electron momentum distribution in the direction opposite to that of laser propagation as a function of laser intensity and demonstrate an excellent agreement between experimental results and theoretical predictions.

physics.atom-ph↗