Attosecond control of the dissociative ionization via electron localization: A comparison between [formula omitted] and CO

Abstract

Laser pulses with stable electric field waveforms establish the opportunity to achieve coherent control on attosecond timescales. A first successful example of electron localization and its control could be demonstrated for the molecules D 2 + and HD + . These molecules constitute simple model systems with only one electron and left the question open, whether electron localization in multi-electron systems can be achieved and controlled. In this context, we recently reported results where a high degree of light-waveform control over the directional emission of C + and O + fragments from the dissociative ionization of CO was observed [1]. Here, we compare and analyze the mechanisms leading to electron localization in the two different molecular systems D 2 + and CO + . We use our recently introduced method for multi-electron systems that allows us to describe the formation of an electronic wavepacket and to follow its evolution during the dissociation process.