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Photon momentum transfer and partitioning: from one to many

Author

Listed:
  • Xiaodan Mao

    (East China Normal University)

  • Hongcheng Ni

    (East China Normal University
    Shanxi University)

  • Kang Lin

    (Zhejiang University
    Zhejiang University)

  • Pei-Lun He

    (Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik
    Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Hao Liang

    (Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme)

  • Sebastian Eckart

    (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt)

  • Feng He

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Kiyoshi Ueda

    (East China Normal University
    Tohoku University)

  • Reinhard Dörner

    (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt)

  • Jian Wu

    (East China Normal University
    Shanxi University
    Chongqing Institute of East China Normal University)

Abstract

The transfer of photon momentum is indispensable in initiating and directing light-matter interactions, which underpins a plethora of fundamental physical processes from laser cooling to laser particle acceleration. The transferred photon momentum is distributed between the photoelectron and the residual ion upon ionization. Our study presents a general and consistent framework for photon momentum transfer covering an arbitrary number of absorbed photons. Our results bridge the gap between the previously considered limiting cases of single-photon and multi-photon strong-field ionization and suggest revising the current consensus for the multi-photon limit by demonstrating that with each additional photon absorbed above the ionization threshold, the photoelectron acquires on average twice the momentum of the absorbed photon. Our work paves the pathway towards a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental processes of photon momentum transfer in light-matter interactions, with implications for both theoretical physics and practical applications that harness the transfer of photon momentum.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiaodan Mao & Hongcheng Ni & Kang Lin & Pei-Lun He & Hao Liang & Sebastian Eckart & Feng He & Kiyoshi Ueda & Reinhard Dörner & Jian Wu, 2025. "Photon momentum transfer and partitioning: from one to many," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-60983-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60983-z
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