Ionization dynamics of polar molecules in strong elliptical laser fields

Abstract

We study ionization dynamics of oriented polar molecules in strong elliptically polarized laser fields. The calculated photoelectron momentum distributions show an irregular half-ring structure from which we track the electron motion and identify two different ionization channels, i.e., the ground-state one and the excited-state one. We show that the excited-state channel is usually temporally delayed by a few hundred attoseconds in comparison with the ground-state one. This dynamical delay is mapped in the momentum distribution, resulting in the irregular half-ring structure. The characteristics of this structure provide potential observables for studying excited-state effects in ionization of polar molecules in strong laser fields.