Carrier-envelope phase dependence of high-order above-threshold ionization by few-cycle laser pulses

Abstract

With a stereo above-threshold ionization (ATI) apparatus, we systematically investigate the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) dependence of the photoelectron kinetic energy spectra from high-order ATI of Xe atom subject to a strong few-cycle laser field. Our measurements reveal a prominent step structure and a maximum in the photoelectron kinetic energy dependence of the yield asymmetry. The observed structures can be well reproduced by the numerical solution of time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE) and the improved strong field approximation (ISFA) theory. According to our analysis, the step structure can be ascribed to the interference of long and short orbits, while the maximum is closely related to the distinct kinetic energy distributions of photoelectrons which elastically scatter on the core at odd and even returns. Our work provides a more comprehensive understanding of the CEP effects on high energy photoelectron emissions in a few-cycle laser field.