Probing the symmetry of atomic wavefunctions from the point of view of strong field-driven electrons

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze a new approach that was first presented by Shafir et al (2009 Nat. Phys. 5 412–6) to probe the symmetry of atomic wavefunctions via the high harmonic generation process. In this scheme, we control the two-dimensional (2D) motion of a free electron using a two-color field to probe the atoms from different angles. We present a new theoretical analysis that focuses on the spherical symmetry of atomic potentials. We analyze previously presented experimental results (Shafir et al 2009 Nat. Phys. 5 412–6) and demonstrate the ability to distinguish between spherically symmetric (s state) and non-spherically symmetric (p state) orbitals. Finally, we discuss the limitations of our approach and compare it with alternative methods.