Imprints of molecular orbitals using photoelectron angular distribution by strong laser pulses of circular polarization

We theoretically investigate the strong-field ionization of H＋2 molecules in four different electronic states by calculating photoelectron angular distributions in circularly polarized fields. We find that the structure of photoelectron angular distribution depends on the molecular orbital as well as the energy of the photoelectron. The location of main lobes changes with the symmetric property of the molecular orbital. Generally, for molecules with bonding electronic states, the photoelectron’s angular distribution shows a rotation of π/2 with respect to the molecular axis, while for molecules with antibonding electronic states, no rotation occurs. We use an interference scenario to interpret these phenomena. We also find that, due to the interference effect, a new pair of jets appears in the waist of the main lobes, and the main lobes or jets of the photoelectron’s angular distribution are split into two parts if the photoelectron energy is sufficiently high.