Dissociative frustrated triple ionization of ArKr dimers induced by a linearly polarized two-color femtosecond laser field

We experimentally investigate the dissociative frustrated triple ionization of ArKr dimers induced by a relative phase-controlled linearly polarized two-color femtosecond laser field. In this process, one of the three ionized electrons is recaptured by the triply ionized ArKr, leading to fragmentation via two distinct Rydberg channels: (Ar+∗, Kr+) and (Ar+, Kr+∗). Coincidence measurements are performed for the resulting fragments. By examining the sum momentum of the two fragments along the symmetry axis of the spectrometer in relation to their total kinetic energy release, we establish a method for selectively identifying events corresponding to each Rydberg channel from the raw data. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the emission directions of the Rydberg fragments in the (Ar+∗, Kr+) and (Ar+, Kr+∗) channels can be manipulated by adjusting the relative phase of the two-color laser fields. Notably, these two channels exhibit distinct behaviors in the relative phase-dependent asymmetry as a function of the kinetic energy release of the fragments. Based on the observed asymmetry patterns and the enhanced ionization mechanism, we elucidate the pathways leading to the formation of the (Ar+∗, Kr+) and (Ar+, Kr+∗). Our findings provide an experimental approach and deeper insight into molecular dissociative frustrated ionization in femtosecond laser fields.