Ionization Branching Ratio Control with a Resonance Attosecond Clock

We investigate the possibility to monitor the dynamics of autoionizing states in real-time and control the yields of different ionization channels in helium by simulating extreme ultraviolet (XUV) pump IR-probe experiments focused on the N = 2 threshold. The XUV pulse creates a coherent superposition of doubly excited states which is found to decay by ejecting electrons in bursts. Prominent interference fringes in the photoelectron angular distribution of the 2s and 2p ionization channels are observed, along with significant out-of-phase quantum beats in the yields of the corresponding parent ions.