Strong dependence of photoionization time delay on energy and angle in the neighborhood of Fano resonances

Abstract

We uncover dramatic variations of the Wigner photoemission time delay with energy and angle in the vicinity of a Fano resonance with the time delay taking opposite signs at different angles at the same energy as well as at the opposite sides of the resonance at the same angle. These variations are illustrated by choosing the Ne 2s→3p autoionizing state as a case study. Moreover, we demonstrate the existence of strikingly significant changes in time delay due to relativistic effects despite Ne being a low-Z atom. This finding shows the possibility for utilizing time delay chronoscopy as a route towards experimental probing of relativistic interactions and the phases of individual transition matrix elements upon atomic photoionization of low- Z atoms. Finally, we develop a practical parametrization to model and explain the angle and energy variation of the autoionizing resonance time delay in the nonrelativistic limit.