A. Surzhykov,
D. Seipt,
and S. Fritzsche
Probing the energy flow in Bessel light beams using atomic photoionization
Phys. Rev. A, 94 :033420 (September 2016)
Probing the energy flow in Bessel light beams using atomic photoionization
Phys. Rev. A, 94 :033420 (September 2016)
Abstract:
The growing interest in twisted light beams also requires a better understanding of their complex internal structure. Particular attention is currently being given to the energy circulation in these beams as usually described by the Poynting vector field. In the present study we propose to use the photoionization of alkali-metal atoms as a probe process to measure (and visualize) the energy flow in twisted light fields. Such measurements are possible since the angular distribution of photoelectrons, emitted from a small atomic target, appears sensitive to and is determined by the local direction of the Poynting vector. To illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method, detailed calculations were performed for the ionization of sodium atoms by nondiffractive Bessel beams.