Attosecond control of spin polarization in electron–ion recollision driven by intense tailored fields. (6th July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ayuso, David; Jiménez-Galán, Alvaro; Morales, Felipe; Ivanov, Misha; Smirnova, Olga
• Is Part Of: New journal of physics. Volume 19:Number 7(2017:Jul.)
• Publication Date: 2017-07-06
• Subjects: spin polarization -- attosecond physics -- strong laser fields -- electron–ion recollision; Physics -- Periodicals; Physics; Periodicals; 530.05
• DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/aa732f
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1367-2630

Abstract

Abstract: Tunnel ionization of noble gas atoms driven by a strong circularly polarized laser field in combination with a counter-rotating second harmonic generates spin-polarized electrons correlated to the spin-polarized ionic core. Crucially, such two-color field can bring the spin-polarized electrons back to the parent ion, enabling the scattering of the spin-polarized electron on the spin-polarized parent ion. Here we show how one can control the degree of spin polarization as a function of electron energy and recollision time by tuning the laser parameters, such as the relative intensities of the counter-rotating fields. The attosecond precision of the control over the degree of spin polarization opens the door for attosecond control and spectroscopy of spin-resolved dynamics.