Coherent control of the photoelectron angular distribution in ionization of neon by a circularly polarized bichromatic field in the resonance region

Coherent control of the photoelectron angular distribution (PAD) in ionization by a bichromatic circularly polarized field is theoretically studied in neon in the photon energy range 16-20 eV. The breakdown of the PAD axial symmetry with respect to the light propagation direction is analyzed. The coherent control of the PAD manifests itself through: (1) a change from a one-lobe to a three-lobe shape, respectively, for co- and counter-rotating harmonics, (2) a variation of the polar asymmetry with the light frequency, and (3) a rotation of the PAD around the direction of the beam depending on the relative phase between the harmonics. Tuning the lowest harmonic at the 2p(5)3s or 2p(5)4s intermediate excited states strongly influences the PAD. In contrast to atomic hydrogen and the alkali atoms, the cases of equal and opposite helicity are not related in neon. Features of a conjugate polarization setup, when one harmonic is linearly polarized while the other one is circularly polarized, are also discussed.