Tunnelling of electrons via the neighboring atom

Ming Zhu; Jihong Tong; Xiwang Liu; Weifeng Yang; Xiaochun Gong; Wenyu Jiang; Peifen Lu; Hui Li; Xiaohong Song; Jian Wu

doi:10.1038/s41377-023-01373-2

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Tunnelling of electrons via the neighboring atom

Article

- Tunnelling of electrons via the neighboring atom
- Light: Science & Applications Vol. 13, Issue 1, Pages: 127-134(2024)
- Affiliations：
- Author bio：
  
  dwfyang@hainanu.edu.cn
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- DOI：10.1038/s41377-023-01373-2
  CLC：
- Received：11 July 2023，
  
  Revised：12 December 2023，
  
  Accepted：2023-12-22，
  
  Published Online：16 January 2024，
  
  Published：2024-12
- Accepted：
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Ming Zhu, Jihong Tong, Xiwang Liu, et al. Tunnelling of electrons via the neighboring atom[J]. Light: science & applications, 2024, 13(1): 127-134.
DOI：

Ming Zhu, Jihong Tong, Xiwang Liu, et al. Tunnelling of electrons via the neighboring atom[J]. Light: science & applications, 2024, 13(1): 127-134. DOI： 10.1038/s41377-023-01373-2.

摘要

Abstract

As compared to the intuitive process that the electron emits straight to the continuum from its parent ion

there is an alternative route that the electron may transfer to and be trapped by a neighboring ionic core before the eventual release. Here

we demonstrate that electron tunnelling via the neighboring atomic core is a pronounced process in light-induced tunnelling ionization of molecules by absorbing multiple near-infrared photons. We devised a site-resolved tunnelling experiment using an Ar-Kr

ion as a prototype system to track the electron tunnelling dynamics from the Ar atom towards the neighboring Kr

by monitoring its transverse momentum distribution

which is temporally captured into the resonant excited states of the Ar-Kr

before its eventual releasing. The influence of the Coulomb potential of neighboring ionic cores promises new insights into the understanding and controlling of tunnelling dynamics in complex molecules or environment.

A van der Waals complex with an internuclear distance of 0.39 nm is designed as a prototype system to track electron tunneling via neighboring atoms within a sub-nanometer scale.

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