8-10 July 2024, Crash course - symmetries and selection rules of photoelectron and high-order-harmonic spectra induced by tailored laser fields, London, UK

Crash course - symmetries and selection rules of photoelectron and high-order-harmonic spectra induced by tailored laser fields, 8th to the 10th of July 2024 from 11:00 to 13:00, in Physics A1/A3, University College London, UK

Dear all,

Dr Dino Habibović (Assistant Professor / Lecturer, University of Sarajevo) will give a 3-day crash course on symmetries and selection rules of photoelectron and high-order-harmonic spectra induced by tailored laser fields, from the 8th to the 10th of July 2024 from 11:00 to 13:00, in Physics A1/A3, UCL.

In the present course, we investigate the selection rules for the high-order harmonic generation of atoms and molecules exposed to strong linearly polarised or tailored laser fields. First, we derive the selection rules using the dynamical symmetry of the driving field and discuss the violations that appear for the molecular targets. Then, we present an intuitive method to deduce the selection rules by using the symmetry property of the system, which consists of the target molecule and the driving field. Finally, we discuss the use of group theory to obtain the selection rules. In the second part of the course, we analyze the symmetry properties of the photoelectron momentum distributions for atomic and molecular targets and relate them to the symmetry properties of the applied laser field. The strong-field approximation theory allows for a clear distinction to be made between the direct electrons, which do not interact with the parent ion following ionization, and the rescattered electrons, which exhibit a single rescattering event before being detected. The differences between the symmetry properties of the momentum distributions, which include only the direct electrons and both the direct and the rescattered electrons, are discussed.

The course will be very informal and aimed at post-graduate students and early career researchers. Knowledge of group theory and ultrafast science is helpful, although not necessary. Upon the speaker's request, it will be onsite only with no live streaming. The course is free, but registration is required. Prior to the course, we will circulate a reading list to the participants and also make the slides available. We will also provide pizza on the 3rd day! Registration link: https://forms.office.com/e/fy466WXEF3

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Dino Habibović is an Assistant Professor/Lecturer at the Faculty of Science, University of Sarajevo and a member of the SAMOPHYS research group led by the Academician Dr. Sc. Dejan Milošević. Prior to this, he held the roles of Teaching and Research Assistant as well as Senior Teaching and Research Assistant at the Faculty of Science, University of Sarajevo. He obtained his PhD in 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Dejan Milošević at the University of Sarajevo with a thesis entitled “High-order processes on molecules induced by strong two-component laser fields”. Prior to his PhD, Dino completed an MSc at the same university with a thesis about the macroscopic effects in the high-order harmonic generation with atoms exposed to the linearly polarised field. His current research interests lie in the area of strong-field processes, such as high-order harmonic generation and high-order above-threshold ionization, induced by tailored laser fields. One particularly interesting example of a situation where tailored laser fields are beneficial is the generation of elliptically polarised high-order harmonics. This is due to the symmetry properties of the system, which consists of the atomic or molecular target and the driving field. As a result, the emitted harmonics can be linearly or elliptically polarised. Another example is the situation in which strong-field ionisation is modified by the additional THz pulse. The time delay between this pulse and the driving laser pulse represents an additional control parameter. The photoelectron spectra are significantly altered by the presence of the THz pulse in a way that the photoelectrons with energy larger than in the absence of the THz pulse and a significant emission rate can be generated. The experiments which should provide confirmation of the analyzed effects are currently in progress. In addition to his scientific contributions, Dino Habibović has accumulated over a decade of teaching experience in a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate courses.

All welcome!

Carla Figueira de Morisson Faria
Professor of Physics
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University College London
Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
E-mail: c.faria@ucl.ac.uk