Anisotropic effects in the nondipole relativistic photoionization of hydrogen

Abstract In the nonrelativistic and dipole regime of multiphoton ionization, spherical symmetry in all but the polarization direction of the laser pulse ensures that directional dependency in the photoelectron spectra is limited to the laser polarization direction, with the final distribution exhibiting no asymmetry along the propagation direction of the laser. When relativistic effects and spatial dependency in the external potential are accounted for however, the addition of time dilation and radiation pressure both impose anisotropic effects. Previously we have found that nondipole effects induce a redshift in the photoelectron energy distribution, while conversely relativistic effects induce a blueshift, with the net effect of an apparent near-cancellation of the two. In this work we study these effects further. By examining photoelectron momentum distributions acquired from simulations with the time-dependent Dirac equation we propose explanatory models for both phenomena and present a simplified model of the shifts as a function of the angle relative to the propagation direction of the laser pulse. It is found that both nondipole and relativistic effects must be accounted for on an equal footing in order to correctly describe the photoelectron momentum distribution in the high-intensity regime.