Time-domain interferences as the source of electron-ion entanglement in Rabi-dressed photoemission

Abstract

We investigate bipartite entanglement between a photoelectron and its parent ion when the latter undergoes Rabi oscillations, following the recent experiment of [Nandi et al. Science Advances 10, eado0668 (2024)]. Using numerical simulations on a model atom, we show that this entanglement results from ionization events occurring at different times, with the photoelectron leaving the ion in distinct superpositions of internal states due to the Rabi coupling. Our interpretation brings forward the possibility to access the purity of the photoion state from photoelectron spectra. Furthermore, we demonstrate a tomographic reconstruction of the dressed ionic state dynamics from the observable spectra.