Angular distribution in two-photon double ionization of helium by intense attosecond soft X-ray pulses

Abstract We investigate two-photon double ionization of helium by intense (≈ 1015 W/cm2) ultrashort (≈ 300 as) soft X-ray pulses (E = 91.6 eV). The time-dependent two-electron Schrödinger equation is solved using a coupled channel method. We show that for ultrashort pulses the angular distribution of ejected electrons depends on the pulse duration and provides novel insights into the role of electron correlations in the two-electron photoemission process. The angular distribution at energies near the “independent electron” peaks is close to dipolar while it acquires in the “valley” of correlated emission a significant quadrupolar component within a few hundred attoseconds.