Molecular photoelectron interference effects by intense circularly polarized attosecond x-ray pulses

Abstract

We present photoelectron interference effects in molecular photoionization by intense circularly polarized attosecond X-ray laser pulses. Simulations are performed on single electron molecular systems, H2+, HeH2+, and H32+, by numerically solving the corresponding three-dimensional time dependent Schrödinger equations. Photoelectron spectra show that both momentum ring and stripe patterns are obtained, arising respectively from the interference of the direct ionized and scattered electron wave packets. Multi-center electron interference models in molecular ultrafast photoionization are used to describe the ionized electron dynamics. The interference patterns are shown to be dependent on molecular orbital symmetry, thus offering tools for attosecond imaging molecular structure at different molecular geometries.