Atomic wavefunctions probed through strong-field light-matter interaction

Strong-field light-matter interactions can encode the spatial properties of the electronic wavefunctions that contribute to the process(1-4). In particular, the broadband harmonic spectra, measured for a series of molecular alignments, can be used to create a tomographic reconstruction of molecular orbitals(5). Here, we present an extension of the tomography approach to systems that cannot be naturally aligned. We demonstrate this ability by probing the two-dimensional properties of atomic wavefunctions. By manipulating an electron-ion recollision process(6), we are able to resolve the symmetry of the atomic wavefunction with high contrast.