Abstract
Double ionization following the absorption of a single photon is one of the most fundamental processes requiring interaction between electrons1,2,3. Information about this interaction is usually obtained by detecting emitted particles without access to real-time dynamics. Here, attosecond light pulses4,5, electron wave packet interferometry6 and coincidence techniques7 are combined to measure electron emission times in double ionization of xenon using single ionization as a clock, providing unique insight into the two-electron ejection mechanism. Access to many-particle dynamics in real time is of fundamental importance for understanding processes induced by electron correlation in atomic, molecular and more complex systems.
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Acknowledgements
We thank A. Maquet and R. Taïeb for fruitful theoretical discussions. This research was supported by the Marie Curie program ATTOFEL (ITN), the European Research Council (ALMA), the Swedish Research Council and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
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E.P.M., D.G., C.L.A., D.K., S.K. and M.G. performed the experiment. E.P.M., J.M.D., E.L., A.S.K., D.G., A.L. and M.G. worked on the analysis and theoretical interpretation. E.P.M., S.L.S., A.L. and M.G. wrote the manuscript.
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Månsson, E., Guénot, D., Arnold, C. et al. Double ionization probed on the attosecond timescale. Nature Phys 10, 207–211 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys2880
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys2880
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