XUV ionization of the H2 molecule studied with attosecond angular streaking

Abstract

Abstract We study orientation and two-center interference effects in attosecond time-resolved photoionization of the H2 molecule. Time resolution of extreme-ultraviolet ionization of H2 is gained through the phase retrieval capability of attosecond angular streaking demonstrated earlier by Kheifets et al (2022 Phys. Rev. A 106 033106). Once applied to H2, this technique delivers an anisotropic phase and time delay which both depend sensitively on the molecular axis orientation. In addition, the photoelectron momentum distribution displays a very clear two-center interference pattern. When the interference formula of Walter and Briggs (1999 J. Phys. B 32 2487) is applied, an effective photoelectron momentum appears to be greater than the asymptotic momentum at the detector. This effect is explained by a molecular potential well surrounding the photoemission center.