Polarization tagging of two-photon double ionization by elliptically polarized XUV pulses

Abstract

We explore the influence of elliptical polarization on the (non)sequential two-photon double ionization of atomic helium with ultrashort extreme ultraviolet (XUV) light fields using time-dependent full ab initio simulations. The energy and angular distributions of photoelectrons are found to be strongly dependent on the ellipticity. The correlation minimum in the joint angular distribution becomes more prominently visible with increasing ellipticity. In a pump-probe sequence of two subsequent XUV pulses with varying ellipticities, polarization tagging allows us to discriminate between sequential and nonsequential photoionization. This clear separation demonstrates the potential of elliptically polarized XUV fields for improved control of electronic emission processes.