Electron dynamics in the ground state of a laser-generated carbon atom

Abstract

We present a real-time observation of electron motion in the ground state of the carbon atom. A wave packet is created in the ground triplet state of the atom via photodetachment of its negative ion in a strong laser field. Its dynamics is probed using the selectivity of strong-field ionization to orbital alignment in combination with an electron-imaging technique. A strong temporal modulation in the photoelectron yield at high kinetic energies is observed, which reveals a periodic motion of the electron cloud in the atom.