2026/07/21 by Jinzhen Zhu
#physics.atom-ph #math-ph #math.MP #quant-ph
We present full-dimensional quantum simulations of H2+ dissociative ionization driven by strong orthogonal laser fields. We consider equal-frequency orthogonal components, which generate elliptical or circular polarization depending on their relative phase and amplitude, as well as orthogonal 800- and 400-nm two-color fields. These two-dimensional fields strongly modify the fragmentation dynamics. Most notably, we identify a high-energy peak in the proton kinetic-energy-release (KER) spectrum at approximately 4-5 eV that is absent from the corresponding single-color, linearly polarized calculations. The yield of this peak can be coherently controlled by varying the relative carrier-envelope phase of the perpendicular field component. The perpendicular field also disrupts the clear electron-proton energy-sharing pattern observed in the main 3-3.5 eV dissociation channel, indicating more complex multichannel dynamics. Time-dependent state projections and calculations initiated from individual excited states attribute the additional peak to laser-induced vibrational excitation of H2+. Furthermore, the perpendicular field rotates the fragment angular distributions, causing the most probable proton and electron emission directions to deviate substantially from the principal z axis. These findings demonstrate that the spatial and temporal geometry of orthogonal laser fields provides an additional degree of freedom for controlling ultrafast electron-nuclear dynamics.