Electron Trajectories Research Articles

Polarization effects in above-threshold ionization with a mid-infrared strong laser field

Using a semiclassical approach, we theoretically study the above-threshold ionization of magnesium by intense, mid-infrared laser pulses. The formation of low-energy structures in the photoelectron spectrum is found to be enhanced by comparing with a calculation based on the single-active electron approximation. By performing electron trajectory and recollision-time distribution analysis, we demonstrate that this phenomenon is due to the laser-induced ionic core polarization effects on the recolliding electrons. We also show that the polarization effects should be experimentally detectable. Our finding provides new insight into ultrafast control of strong-field photoionization and imaging of polar molecules.

Numerical Analysis of a Low-Pressure Magnetic Electrodischarge Detector

The numerical analysis of ionization processes in a nitrogen−oxygen low pressure plasma (10−3 < p < 1 Pa) in crossed electric and magnetic fields was carried out. The electron trajectories and impact processes were studied as a basis for the calculation and of the ionization zone dimensions. The calculated trajectories and the size of the ionization zone make it possible to select the optimal sensor characteristics.

Modeling electron beam parameters and plasma interface position in an anode plasma electron gun with hydrogen atmosphere

A beam glow discharge based electron gun can be applied as heater for silicon crystal growth systems in which silicon rods are pulled from melt. Impacts of high-energy charged particles cause wear and tear of the gun and generate an additional source of silicon contamination. A steady-state model for electron beam formation has been developed to model the electron gun and optimize its design. Description of the model and first simulation results are presented. It has been shown that the model can simulate dimensions of particle impact areas on the cathode and anode, but further improvements of the model are needed to correctly simulate electron trajectory distribution in the beam and the beam current dependence on the applied gas pressure.

Generation of magneto-immersed electron beams.

There are many applications of electron beams in accelerator facilities: for electron coolers, electron lenses, and electron beam ion sources (EBIS) to mention a few. Most of these applications require magnetic compression of the electron beam to reduce the beam radius with the goal of either matching the circulating ion beam (electron lenses and electron coolers) or increasing the ionization capability for the production of highly charged ions (EBIS). The magnetic compression of the electron beam comes at a cost of increasing share of the transverse component of energy and therefore increased angles of the electron trajectories to the longitudinal axis. Considering the effect of the magnetic mirror, it is highly desirable to produce a laminar electron beam in the electron gun. The analysis of electron guns with different configurations is given in this paper with emphasis on generating laminar electron beams.

Theory of high-order harmonic generation for gapless graphene

We study the high-harmonic spectrum emitted by a single-layer graphene, irradiated by an ultrashort intense infrared laser pulse. We show the emergence of the typical non-perturbative spectral features, harmonic plateau and cut-off, for mid-infrared driving fields, at fluences below the damage threshold. In contrast to previous works, using THz drivings, we demonstrate that the harmonic cut-off frequency saturates with the intensity. Our results are derived from the numerical integration of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation using a nearest neighbor tight-binding description of graphene. We also develop a saddle-point analysis that reveals a mechanism for harmonic emission in graphene different from that reported in atoms, molecules and finite gap solids. In graphene, the first step is initiated by the non-diabatic crossing of the valence band electron trajectories through the Dirac points, instead of tunneling ionization/excitation. We include a complete identification of the trajectories contributing to any particular high harmonic and reproduce the harmonic cut-off scaling with the driving intensity.

High-order fractal states in graphene superlattices

Graphene superlattices were shown to exhibit high-temperature quantum oscillations due to periodic emergence of delocalized Bloch states in high magnetic fields such that unit fractions of the flux quantum pierce a superlattice unit cell. Under these conditions, semiclassical electron trajectories become straight again, similar to the case of zero magnetic field. Here, we report magnetotransport measurements that reveal second-, third-, and fourth-order magnetic Bloch states at high electron densities and temperatures above 100 K. The recurrence of these states creates a fractal pattern intimately related to the origin of Hofstadter butterflies. The hierarchy of the fractal states is determined by the width of magnetic minibands, in qualitative agreement with our band-structure calculations.

Impact of Shock Front Rippling and Self-reformation on the Electron Dynamics at Low-Mach-number Shocks

Abstract Electron dynamics at low-Mach-number collisionless shocks are investigated by using two-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations with various shock normal angles. We found: (1) The reflected ions and incident electrons at the shock front provide an effective mechanism for the quasi-electrostatic wave generation due to the charge-separation. A fraction of incident electrons can be effectively trapped and accelerated at the leading edge of the shock foot. (2) At quasi-perpendicular shocks, the electron trapping and reflection is nonuniform due to the shock rippling along the shock surface and is more likely to take place at some locations accompanied by intense reflected ion-beams. The electron trapping process has a periodical evolution over time due to the shock front self-reformation, which is controlled by ion dynamics. Thus, this is a cross-scale coupling phenomenon. (3) At quasi-parallel shocks, reflected ions can travel far back upstream. Consequently, quasi-electrostatic waves can be excited in the shock transition and the foreshock region. The electron trajectory analysis shows these waves can trap electrons at the foot region and reflect a fraction of them far back upstream. Simulation runs in this paper indicate that the micro-turbulence at the shock foot can provide a possible scenario for producing the reflected electron beam, which is a basic condition for the type II radio burst emission at low-Mach-number interplanetary shocks driven by Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).

Feasibility of track-based multiple scattering tomography

We present a tomographic technique making use of a gigaelectronvolt electron beam for the determination of the material budget distribution of centimeter-sized objects by means of simulations and measurements. In both cases, the trajectory of electrons traversing a sample under test is reconstructed using a pixel beam-telescope. The width of the deflection angle distribution of electrons undergoing multiple Coulomb scattering at the sample is estimated. Basing the sinogram on position-resolved estimators enables the reconstruction of the original sample using an inverse radon transform. We exemplify the feasibility of this tomographic technique via simulations of two structured cubes—made of aluminium and lead—and via an in-beam measured coaxial adapter. The simulations yield images with FWHM edge resolutions of (177 ± 13) μm and a contrast-to-noise ratio of 5.6 ± 0.2 (7.8 ± 0.3) for aluminium (lead) compared to air. The tomographic reconstruction of a coaxial adapter serves as experimental evidence of the technique and yields a contrast-to-noise ratio of 15.3 ± 1.0 and a FWHM edge resolution of (117 ± 4) μm.

A Monte Carlo modeling on charging effect for structures with arbitrary geometries

Insulating materials usually suffer charging effects when irradiated by charged particles. In this paper, we present a Monte Carlo study on the charging effect caused by electron beam irradiation for sample structures with any complex geometry. When transporting in an insulating solid, electrons encounter elastic and inelastic scattering events; the Mott cross section and a Lorentz-type dielectric function are respectively employed to describe such scatterings. In addition, the band gap and the electron–long optical phonon interaction are taken into account. The electronic excitation in inelastic scattering causes generation of electron–hole pairs; these negative and positive charges establish an inner electric field, which in turn induces the drift of charges to be trapped by impurities, defects, vacancies etc in the solid, where the distributions of trapping sites are assumed to have uniform density. Under charging conditions, the inner electric field distorts electron trajectories, and the surface electric potential dynamically alters secondary electron emission. We present, in this work, an iterative modeling method for a self-consistent calculation of electric potential; the method has advantages in treating any structure with arbitrary complex geometry, in comparison with the image charge method—which is limited to a quite simple boundary geometry. Our modeling is based on: the combination of the finite triangle mesh method for an arbitrary geometry construction; a self-consistent method for the spatial potential calculation; and a full dynamic description for the motion of deposited charges. Example calculations have been done to simulate secondary electron yield of SiO2 for a semi-infinite solid, the charging for a heterostructure of SiO2 film grown on an Au substrate, and SEM imaging of a SiO2 line structure with rough surfaces and SiO2 nanoparticles with irregular shapes. The simulations have explored interesting interlaced charge layer distribution underneath the nanoparticle surface and the mechanism by which it is produced.

Allowance for more realistic trajectories of plasma electrons in the Stark broadening of hydrogenlike spectral lines

In the Conventional Theory (CT) of the electron broadening of hydrogenlike spectral lines in plasmas, the perturbing electrons are considered moving along hyperbolic trajectories in the Coulomb field of the effective charge Z − 1 (in atomic units), where Z is the nuclear charge of the radiating ion. Thus, the CT assumed that the motion of the perturbing electron can be described in frames of a two-body problem, one particle being the perturbing electron and the other ‘particle’ being the charge Z − 1. However, in reality it is a three-body problem, involving the perturbing electron, the nucleus, and the bound electron, so that trajectories of the perturbing electrons should be more complicated. In the present paper we take this into account via the standard analytical method of separating rapid and slow subsystems by using the fact that the characteristic frequency of the motion of the bound electron around the nucleus is much higher than the characteristic frequency of the motion of the perturbing electron around the radiating ion. By applying this method we obtain more accurate analytical results for the electron broadening operator than in the CT. We show by examples of the electron broadening of the Lyman lines of He II that the allowance for this effect increases with the electron density Ne, becomes significant already at Ne ∼ 1017 cm−3 and very significant at higher densities. We also briefly discuss a paper by Baryshnikov and Lisitsa (Sov. Phys. JETP 53 (1981) 471) where the fundamental symmetry of the effective potential for this problem was used in a different way.

Quasi-local action of curl-less vector potential on vortex dynamics in superconductors

Studies of the Abrikosov vortex motion in superconductors based on time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau equations reveal an opportunity to detect the values of the Aharonov–Bohm type curl-less vector potentials without closed-loop electron trajectories encompassing the magnetic flux.

Spatio-spectral structures in high harmonic generation driven by tightly focused high repetition rate lasers

We investigate the spatio-spectral properties of extreme ultraviolet (XUV) high harmonic radiation driven by high repetition rate femtosecond laser systems. In the spatio-spectral domain, ring-shaped structures at each harmonic order associated with long-trajectory electrons are found to form arrow-shaped structures at the cutoff. These structures are observed with two different laser systems: an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier system at a central wavelength of 1.55 μm and 125 kHz repetition rate, and a temporally compressed femtosecond ytterbium fiber amplifier at 1.03 μm wavelength and 100 kHz repetition rate. As recently pointed out, the observed structures are well explained by considering the space–time atomic dipole-induced phase for short and long electron trajectories in the generation plane. The tighter focusing geometry and longer wavelength associated with these emerging driving laser systems increase the ring-like divergence and spectral broadening for high harmonics. Cutoff energies and photon fluxes obtained in argon and neon are also reported. Overall, these results shed new light on the properties of XUV radiation driven by these recently developed high average power laser systems, paving the way to high photon-flux XUV beamlines.

Surface Hopping Dynamics beyond Nonadiabatic Couplings for Quantum Coherence.

Description of correct electron-nuclear couplings is crucial in modeling of nonadiabatic dynamics. Within traditional semiclassical or mixed quantum-classical dynamics, the coupling between quantum electronic states and classical nuclear trajectories is governed by nonadiabatic coupling vectors coupled to classical nuclear momenta. This enables us to develop a very powerful nonadiabatic dynamics algorithm, namely, surface hopping dynamics, which can describe the splitting of nuclear wave packets and detailed balance. Despite its efficiency and practicality, it suffers from the lack of quantum decoherence due to incorrect accounts for the electron-nuclear coupling. Here we present a new surface hopping algorithm based on the exact electron-nuclear correlation from the exact factorization of molecular wave functions. This algorithm demands comparable computational costs to existing surface hopping methods. Numerical simulations with two-state models and a multidimensional multistate realistic molecule show that the electron-nuclear coupling beyond the nonadiabatic coupling terms can describe the quantum coherence properly.

Ultrahigh resolution radiation imaging system using an optical fiber structure scintillator plate

High resolution imaging of radiation is required for such radioisotope distribution measurements as alpha particle detection in nuclear facilities or high energy physics experiments. For this purpose, we developed an ultrahigh resolution radiation imaging system using an optical fiber structure scintillator plate. We used a ~1-μm diameter fiber structured GdAlO3:Ce (GAP) /α-Al2O3 scintillator plate to reduce the light spread. The fiber structured scintillator plate was optically coupled to a tapered optical fiber plate to magnify the image and combined with a lens-based high sensitivity CCD camera. We observed the images of alpha particles with a spatial resolution of ~25 μm. For the beta particles, the images had various shapes, and the trajectories of the electrons were clearly observed in the images. For the gamma photons, the images also had various shapes, and the trajectories of the secondary electrons were observed in some of the images. These results show that combining an optical fiber structure scintillator plate with a tapered optical fiber plate and a high sensitivity CCD camera achieved ultrahigh resolution and is a promising method to observe the images of the interactions of radiation in a scintillator.

Intra- and intercycle interference of angle-resolved electron emission in laser-assisted XUV atomic ionization

A theoretical study of ionization of the hydrogen atom due to an XUV pulse in the presence of an infrared (IR) laser is presented. Well-established theories are usually used to describe the laser-assisted photoelectron effect: the well-known soft-photon approximation firstly posed by Maquet et al (2007 J. Mod. Opt. 54 1847) and Kazansky’s theory in (2010 Phys. Rev. A 82, 033420). However, these theories completely fail to predict the electron emission perpendicularly to the polarization direction. Making use of a semiclassical model (SCM), we study the angle-resolved energy distribution of PEs for the case that both fields are linearly polarized in the same direction. We thoroughly analyze and characterize two different emission regions in the angle-energy domain: (i) the parallel-like region with contribution of two classical trajectories per optical cycle and (ii) the perpendicular-like region with contribution of four classical trajectories per optical cycle. We show that our SCM is able to assess the interference patterns of the angle-resolved PE spectrum in the two different mentioned regions. Electron trajectories stemming from different optical laser cycles give rise to angle-independent intercycle interferences known as sidebands. These sidebands are modulated by an angle-dependent coarse-grained structure coming from the intracycle interference of the electron trajectories born during the same optical cycle. We show the accuracy of our SCM as a function of the time delay between the IR and the XUV pulses and also as a function of the laser intensity by comparing the semiclassical predictions of the angle-resolved PE spectrum with the continuum-distorted wave strong field approximation and the ab initio solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation.

Laser-driven relativistic electron dynamics in a cylindrical plasma channel**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11475027, 11765017, 11764039, 11305132, and 11274255), the Natural Science Foundation of Gansu Province, China (Grant No. 17JR5RA076), and the Scientific Research Project of Gansu Higher Education, China (Grant No. 2016A-005).

The energy and trajectory of the electron, which is irradiated by a high-power laser pulse in a cylindrical plasma channel with a uniform positive charge and a uniform negative current, have been analyzed in terms of a single-electron model of direct laser acceleration. We find that the energy and trajectory of the electron strongly depend on the positive charge density, the negative current density, and the intensity of the laser pulse. The electron can be accelerated significantly only when the positive charge density, the negative current density, and the intensity of the laser pulse are in suitable ranges due to the dephasing rate between the wave and electron motion. Particularly, when their values satisfy a critical condition, the electron can stay in phase with the laser and gain the largest energy from the laser. With the enhancement of the electron energy, strong modulations of the relativistic factor cause a considerable enhancement of the electron transverse oscillations across the channel, which makes the electron trajectory become essentially three-dimensional, even if it is flat at the early stage of the acceleration.

Photochemistry of the Simplest Criegee Intermediate, CH2OO: Photoisomerization Channel toward Dioxirane Revealed by CASPT2 Calculations and Trajectory Surface-Hopping Dynamics.

The photochemistry of Criegee intermediates plays a significant role in atmospheric chemistry, but it is relatively less explored compared with their thermal reactions. Using multireference CASPT2 electronic structure calculations and CASSCF trajectory surface-hopping molecular dynamics, we have revealed a dark-state-involved A1A → X1A photoisomerization channel of the simple Criegee intermediate (CH2OO) that leads to a cyclic dioxirane. The excited molecules on the A1A state, which can have either originated from the B1A state via B1A → A1A internal conversion or formed by state-selective electronic excitation, is driven by the out-of-plane motion toward a perpendicular A/X1A minimal-energy crossing point (MECI) then radiationless decay to the ground state with an average time constant of ∼138 fs, finally forming dioxirane at ∼254 fs. The dynamics starting from the A1A state show that the quantum yield of photoisomerization from the simple Criegee intermediate to dioxirane is 38%. The finding of the A1A → X1A photoisomerization channel is expected to broaden the reactivity profile and deepen the understanding of the photochemistry of Criegee intermediates.

Information depth in backscattered electron microscopy of nanoparticles within a solid matrix

Measuring the dimensions and number density of nanoparticles dispersed in a solid matrix is usually accomplished via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) which suffers from high cost, low throughput, and small analytical volume. In comparison, scanning backscattered electron microscopy is inexpensive, requires little sample preparation, and allows for the analysis of large sample areas. However, the information depth is usually not known precisely and depends on several factors such as the composition of the nanoparticles and the matrix as well as the size of the nanoparticles, hindering the reconstruction of the actual size distribution and three-dimensional number density. Here we present a method to estimate the information depth for spherical nanoparticles of different sizes in order to accurately determine size distribution and number density. The approach is based on Monte Carlo simulation of electron trajectories in the material and analysis of the obtained backscattered electron signal-to-noise-ratio. Our experimental results are compared to those obtained via TEM and good agreement is demonstrated; this shows that TEM can be replaced by scanning electron microscopy for studying nanocomposites in many cases.

The Existence of Stable Electron Trajectories in the Atom Proved by the Ether Theory

The electron on a trajectory around a nucleus radiates energy since it is accelerated and, following the classical theories of physics, should fall on the nucleus. But since it does not fall, it exists a cause, not taken into account by these theories, that prevents it from this fall. Indeed, in our precedent publications we showed that the fields and the particles are changes in a specific elastic medium called "ether". In particular, that a particle is a globule called “single-particle wave” that vibrates in the ether and is denoted . This that moves at the velocity V of the particle, contains all the parameters relative to it, and modulates the amplitude of the superposition of a wave called “phase-wave”, denoted , (and not ) of phase velocity V_p . In the present paper, one considers that the electron moves on a circle of circumference C, under the attraction of a nucleus. is then present simultaneously several times, e.g., N times, at each point of this circle, that is, in , which is influenced by these N superpositions, due to the fact that interferes with itself at each round. It appears then the two possible cases: the resonant and the nonresonant.In the resonant case, C contains an integer number of wave lengths of that therefore superposes itself at each round in a constructive addition, and creates a relatively large , i.e., of a relatively large energy. The electron that radiates then only a limited percentage of its large energy, does not fall on the nucleus.In the nonresonant case, C contains a non-integer number of , then superposes itself at each round in a destructive addition, and creates a much smaller , i.e., of much smaller energy. The electron that radiates then almost the same energy as in the resonant case, loses in fact a much larger percentage of its energy than in the resonant case, cannot remain in this state.

High-order harmonic generation driven by inhomogeneous plasmonics fields spatially bounded: influence on the cut-off law

We study high-order harmonic generation (HHG) in model atoms driven by plasmonic-enhanced fields. These fields result from the illumination of plasmonic nanostructures by few-cycle laser pulses. We demonstrate that the spatial inhomogeneous character of the laser electric field, in a form of Gaussian-shaped functions, leads to an unexpected relationship between the HHG cutoff and the laser wavelength. Precise description of the spatial form of the plasmonic-enhanced field allows us to predict this relationship. We combine the numerical solutions of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE) with the plasmonic-enhanced electric fields obtained from 3D finite element simulations. We additionally employ classical simulations to supplement the TDSE outcomes and characterize the extended HHG spectra by means of their associated electron trajectories. A proper definition of the spatially inhomogeneous laser electric field is instrumental to accurately describe the underlying physics of HHG driven by plasmonic-enhanced fields. This characterization opens up new perspectives for HHG control with various experimental nano-setups.