Classical-quantum correspondence for above-threshold ionization.

ABSTRACT

We measure high resolution photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) for above-threshold ionization of xenon atoms in infrared laser fields. Based on the Ammosov-Delone-Krainov theory, we develop an intuitive quantum-trajectory Monte Carlo model encoded with Feynman's path-integral approach, in which the Coulomb effect on electron trajectories and interference patterns are fully considered. We achieve a good agreement with the measured PADs of atoms for above-threshold ionization. The quantum-trajectory Monte Carlo theory sheds light on the role of ionic potential on PADs along the longitudinal and transverse direction with respect to the laser polarization, allowing us to unravel the classical coordinates (i.e., tunneling phase and initial momentum) at the tunnel exit for all of the photoelectrons of the PADs. We study the classical-quantum correspondence and build a bridge between the above-threshold ionization and the tunneling theory.