arXiv subjects

Saurabh Mhatre

Publications and source records attributed to Saurabh Mhatre.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Entanglement and photoelectron holography in dissociative photoionization: molecular quantum eraser

In a double-slit experiment with a bipartite system, the visibility of interference fringes depends on the availability of which-way information. Here, we report the formation of a Bell-like state of photoelectron and residual ion in the multiphoton dissociative ionization of the D$_2$ molecule. Evidence for entanglement is provided by the correlated emission directions of photoelectron and ion, which is observed using a COLTRIMS reaction microscope. In the presence of this correlation, the holographic interference fringes contained in the photoelectron momentum distributions are suppressed, indicating the existence of which-way information. We show that the which-way information is erased, and the interference pattern is restored, when a single ionic state is selected. The experimental observations and conclusions are fully supported by the numerical solution of the electronic-nuclear time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Our work demonstrates that coincidence spectroscopy of ions and electrons is a powerful method for studying fundamental concepts of quantum information science within the context of ultrafast light-matter interactions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Towards simultaneous imaging of ultrafast nuclear and electronic dynamics in small molecules

When a chemical bond is broken, the molecular structure undergoes a transformation. An ideal experiment should probe the change in the electronic and nuclear structure simultaneously. Here, we present a method for the simultaneous time-resolved imaging of nuclear and electron dynamics by combining Coulomb explosion imaging with strong-field photoelectron momentum imaging. The simplest chemical reaction, H$_2^+$ $\rightarrow$ H$^+ +$ H, is probed experimentally for the delay-dependent kinetic energy release, and numerically for the transient change in the photoelectron spectra during the dissociation process. The three-dimensional Schrödinger equation is solved in the fixed-nuclei approximation numerically and the results are compared to those from a simple imaging model. The numerical results reflect the evolution in the electron density in the molecular ion as its bond is first stretched and then brakes apart. Our work shows how simple gas-phase chemical dynamics can be captured in complete molecular movies.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2023

Mass-ratio dependent strong-field dissociation of artificial helium hydride isotopologues

We study the effect of the nuclear-mass ratio in a diatomic molecular ion on the dissociation dynamics in strong infrared laser pulses. A molecular ion is a charged system, in which the dipole moment depends on the reference point and therefore on the position of the nuclear center of mass, so that the laser-induced dynamics is expected to depend on the mass asymmetry. Whereas usually both the reduced mass and the mass ratio are varied when different isotopologues are compared, we fix the reduced mass and artificially vary the mass ratio in a model system. This allows us to separate effects related to changes in the resonance frequency, which is determined by the reduced mass, from those that arise due to the mass asymmetry. Numerical solutions of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation are compared with classical trajectory simulations. We find that at a certain mass ratio, vibrational excitation is strongly suppressed, which decreases the dissociation probability by many orders of magnitude.

physics.atom-ph↗