Interferometric control of spin-polarized electron populations at a metal surface observed by multiphoton photoemission

Aimo Winkelmann*, Wen Chin Lin, Francesco Bisio, Hrvoje Petek, Jürgen Kirschner

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In an interferometric pump-probe experiment, we demonstrate the phase tuning of the spin polarization of photoelectrons emitted in a three-photon process from Cu(001). A phase shift of π between delayed ultrafast circularly polarized light pulses can switch the spin polarization from ±20% to 40%. In the delay regime of overlapping pulses, we show the dominating role of optical interference effects in determining the spin polarization. For longer delays, we detect the influence of the coherent material response, manifested in both the final state electron population as well as the final state spin polarization.

Original languageEnglish
Article number206601
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume100
Issue number20
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2008 May 22
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Interferometric control of spin-polarized electron populations at a metal surface observed by multiphoton photoemission'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this