Quantum multiscattering interferences in collision-induced coherent electron emission from diatomic molecules by swift ion impact

Abstract

In the intramolecular scattering process, the interference between the rescattered electron waves emanating from each atomic center gives rise to additional oscillations superimposed on the Young-type oscillatory structure in the observed electron intensity. Here we explore numerically this behavior for coherent electron emission from the dimer ${{\mathrm{Rb}}_{2}}^{+}$ by fast-moving highly charged ions, which is achieved by solving the two-dimensional time-dependent Schr\odinger equation. Well-defined modulations with higher frequency are observed in the momentum distribution of the ejected electron, which are well reproduced by additional quantitative calculations based on the third-order Born series. This demonstrates without ambiguity the dynamic interference induced by multiple scattering paths of the electron prior to emission. Furthermore, the dependence of the phenomenon on the emission direction of the electron and the orientation of the molecular axis also is investigated. The phenomenon is not specific to ${{\mathrm{Rb}}_{2}}^{+}$ as investigated in the present study, but is broadly applicable to other systems with sufficiently large internuclear distances, thus opening new prospects for the investigation of electron emission process from large systems.