arXiv subjects

Rezvan Tahouri

Publications and source records attributed to Rezvan Tahouri.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Causality of ultrafast photoionization from argon 3s using an ab initio relativistic approach

We study real-time photoionization flux at the $3s$ Amusia-Cooper minimum (ACM) in argon using \textit{ab initio} simulations with the relativistic time-dependent configuration-interaction singles (RTDCIS) method in length (LG) and velocity (VG) gauges. A simple analytical model is used to interpret the results, and to construct Wigner delays and Wigner distributions for both gauges and relativistic channels of the photoelectron ($\epsilon p_j$ with $j=1/2$ and $3/2$). The two gauges are found to produce qualitatively different ionization dynamics, with LG having positive and VG having negative Wigner delays. The advancement of several femtoseconds, found for Wigner delays in VG, raises some concern for causality when atoms are ionized by attosecond pulses that are shorter than the absolute value of the Wigner delay. Reassuringly, numerical simulations of wave packets with RTDCIS show that the electrons behave in a causal way in both gauges. Weighted delays that take into account the temporal window of excitation (or the bandwidth of the pulses) are constructed from the Wigner distribution to reach agreement between the numerical simulations and our simple wave packet model. Furthermore, a strong effect of spin-orbit coupling of the photoelectron ($j$) is reported for ultrafast photoionization dynamics, and Schr\"odinger kitten and cat states are identified in the Wigner distributions as a result of the ACM. Our work paves the way for a deeper understanding of ultrafast photoionization and the role of causality in systems with strong electron-electron correlation effects.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2025

Coherent control of ionization via stabilization by resonant pulse pairs

We study the nonlinear and resonant process of two-photon ionization of atoms (He and H) in a pump-probe scheme. The pump pulse prepares the quantum system in a superposition of the ground state and an excited bound state. By varying the phase difference between the pulses, we show how it is possible to coherently control the dressed-state population during the probe pulse. Our main result is that for certain laser parameters, the control over the dressed state population leads to strong control of the ionization probability during the probe pulse. The effect arises due to one of the dressed states becoming stabilized against ionization. Contrasting effects from circular and linear polarized pulses demonstrate how such ``bound states in the continuum'' are sensitive to the degeneracy of the coupled continuum.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Photoionization time delays probe electron correlations

The photoelectric effect, explained by Einstein in 1905, is often regarded as a one-electron phenomenon. However, in multi-electron systems, the interaction of the escaping electron with other electrons, referred to as electron correlation, plays an important role. For example, electron correlations in photoionization of the outer $s$-subshells of rare gas atoms lead to a substantial minimum in the ionization probability, which was theoretically predicted in 1972 and experimentally confirmed using synchrotron radiation. However, recent attosecond photoionization time delay measurements in argon strongly disagree with theory, thus raising questions on the nature of electron correlations leading to this minimum. In this work, combining high-spectral resolution attosecond interferometry experiments and novel theoretical calculations allows us to identify the most essential electron correlations affecting the photoemission. The measurement of time delays gives unprecedented insight into the photoionization process, unraveling details of the atomic potential experienced by the escaping electron and capturing its dynamics.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2024

Spin-Polarized Photoelectrons in the Vicinity of Spectral Features

It has been shown by Fano (1969) https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.178.131 that photoionization of a cæsium atom by a laser pulse tuned to the vicinity of a Cooper minimum generates spin-polarized electrons. Here we show that while photoionization of rare gases does not provide large spin polarization in the vicinity of the Cooper minimum, the Fano resonances yield much higher overall spin polarization ($\ge40\%$). The spin polarization increases in angle-resolved photoelectron spectra, and reaches $100\%$ when measured in coincidence with the photoion. We provide a general framework for achieving spin polarization in photoionization irrespective of the ionization regime.

physics.atom-ph↗