Dr. Noslen Suárez Rojas
Dr. Noslen Suárez Rojas
Congratulations to New ICFO PhD graduate
Dr. Noslen Suárez Rojas graduated with a thesis in “Strong-field processes in Atoms and Polyatomic Molecules”.
January 23, 2018
Dr. Noslen Suárez Rojas received her Master degree in Physics from the University of Havana, in Cuba, before joining the Quantum Optics Theory research group led by ICREA Prof. at ICFO Maciej Lewenstein. At ICFO, she centred her doctoral work on studying and understanding the processes that occur within atoms and polyatomic molecules when exposed to strong-field and intense laser fields, to subsequently propose a theoretical approach that could explain the physics behind. Dr. Noslen Suárez Rojas’ thesis, entitled “Strong-field processes in Atoms and Polyatomic Molecules” has been co-supervised by ICREA Professors at ICFO Maciej Lewenstein and Jens Biegert together with Prof Dr Marco Bellini from LENS.
Abstract:
In this thesis, we develop a general theory to describe the dynamics of electrons that are ionized when an atom or molecule is exposed to a strong low frequency laser field. Our approach extends and improves the well-established theoretical strong-field approximation (SFA). Additionally, our modified strong field approximation (MSFA) can be extended in a natural way from atomic systems to a more complex molecules and multielectron systems.
Our scheme involves two innovative aspects: (i) First, the bound-continuum and rescattering matrix elements can be analytically computed for both atomic and multicenter molecular systems, using a nonlocal short range (SR), but separable, potential. When compared with the standard models, these analytical derivations make possible to directly examine how the ATI and HHG spectra depend on the driven media and laser-pulse features. Furthermore, our model allows us to disentangle the different processes contributing to the total spectra, amongst other capabilities, and it allows us to adjust both the internuclear separation and atomic or molecular potential in a direct and simple way.
Furthermore, we can turn on and off contributions having distinct physical origins or corresponding to different mechanisms that correspond to (1) direct tunneling ionization; (2) electron escattering/recombining on the center of origin; and, finally, (3) electron rescattering/recombining on a different center. (ii) Second, the multicenter matrix elements in our theory are free from nonphysical coordinate-systemdependent terms; this is accomplished by adapting the coordinate system to the center from which the corresponding time-dependent wave function originates.
Having established the basic formalism, we then study the HHG and ATI processes for a variety of atomic and molecular systems. We compare the SFA results with the full numerical solutions of the timedependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE), when available, within the few-cycle pulse regime. We show how our MSFA can be used to look inside the underlying physics of those phenomena. With our tool it is possible to investigate the interference features, ubiquitously present in every strong-field phenomenon involving a multicenter target, or to describe laser-induced electron diffraction (LIED) measurements retrieving molecular structural information from the photoelectron spectra. Our approach paves the way to study the HHG and ATI processes in much more complex molecular targets. Additionally, it potentially can be extended to study these kind of recombination and rescattering scenarios in solid targets.
Thesis Committee
Prof. Pascal Salieres, CNRS
Prof. Simon Wall, ICFO
Prof. Luis Plaja, Universidad de Salamanca
Prof. Francesco Cataliotti, LENS
Prof. Leonardo Fallani, LENS
Abstract:
In this thesis, we develop a general theory to describe the dynamics of electrons that are ionized when an atom or molecule is exposed to a strong low frequency laser field. Our approach extends and improves the well-established theoretical strong-field approximation (SFA). Additionally, our modified strong field approximation (MSFA) can be extended in a natural way from atomic systems to a more complex molecules and multielectron systems.
Our scheme involves two innovative aspects: (i) First, the bound-continuum and rescattering matrix elements can be analytically computed for both atomic and multicenter molecular systems, using a nonlocal short range (SR), but separable, potential. When compared with the standard models, these analytical derivations make possible to directly examine how the ATI and HHG spectra depend on the driven media and laser-pulse features. Furthermore, our model allows us to disentangle the different processes contributing to the total spectra, amongst other capabilities, and it allows us to adjust both the internuclear separation and atomic or molecular potential in a direct and simple way.
Furthermore, we can turn on and off contributions having distinct physical origins or corresponding to different mechanisms that correspond to (1) direct tunneling ionization; (2) electron escattering/recombining on the center of origin; and, finally, (3) electron rescattering/recombining on a different center. (ii) Second, the multicenter matrix elements in our theory are free from nonphysical coordinate-systemdependent terms; this is accomplished by adapting the coordinate system to the center from which the corresponding time-dependent wave function originates.
Having established the basic formalism, we then study the HHG and ATI processes for a variety of atomic and molecular systems. We compare the SFA results with the full numerical solutions of the timedependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE), when available, within the few-cycle pulse regime. We show how our MSFA can be used to look inside the underlying physics of those phenomena. With our tool it is possible to investigate the interference features, ubiquitously present in every strong-field phenomenon involving a multicenter target, or to describe laser-induced electron diffraction (LIED) measurements retrieving molecular structural information from the photoelectron spectra. Our approach paves the way to study the HHG and ATI processes in much more complex molecular targets. Additionally, it potentially can be extended to study these kind of recombination and rescattering scenarios in solid targets.
Thesis Committee
Prof. Pascal Salieres, CNRS
Prof. Simon Wall, ICFO
Prof. Luis Plaja, Universidad de Salamanca
Prof. Francesco Cataliotti, LENS
Prof. Leonardo Fallani, LENS
Thesis Committee