Dynamical distortions of structural signatures in molecular high-order harmonic spectroscopy

Abstract

We study the signature of two-center interferences in molecular high-order harmonic spectra, with an emphasis on the spectral phase. With the help of both ab initio computations based on the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation and the molecular Strong-Field Approximation (SFA) as developed by Chirila et al. [Physical Review A, 73, 023410 (2006)] and Faria [Physical Review A, 76, 043407 (2007)], we observe that the phase behavior is radically different for the short and the long trajectory contributions. By means of Taylor expansions of the molecular SFA, we link this effect to the dynamics of the electron in the continuum. More precisely, we find that the value of the electric field at recombination time plays a crucial role on the shape of the destructive interference phase-jump.