Investigation of Interferences in Carbon Dioxide through Multidimensional Molecular-Frame High-Harmonic Spectroscopy

J Phys Chem A. 2022 Nov 24;126(46):8588-8595. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c04606. Epub 2022 Nov 10.

Abstract

We present molecular-frame high-harmonic spectroscopic measurements of the spectral intensity and group delay of carbon dioxide. Using four different driving wavelengths and a range of intensities at each wavelength for high-harmonic generation, we observe a well-characterized minimum in the harmonic emission that exhibits both a wavelength and intensity dependence. Using the intensity dependence at each driving wavelength, we classify the minimum as due to either a structural two-center interference or dynamic multichannel interference, consistent with previous literature. By additionally measuring the group delay at each driving wavelength and intensity, we find that the sign of the group delay excursion across the interference is an acute probe of the interference mechanism. The experimental results are confirmed by ab initio time-dependent density functional theory calculations of both the spectral intensity and the phase of the harmonic emission.