Counterintuitive angular shifts in the photoelectron momentum distribution for atoms in strong few-cycle circularly polarized laser pulses

We solve the three-dimensional time-dependent Schrodinger equation for a three-cycle circularly polarized laser pulse interacting with an atom. The photoelectron momentum distributions show counterintuitive shifts, similar to those observed in a recent experiment (Eckle et al 2008 Science 322 1525). The physical origin of the shifts is examined by a detailed investigation of the wave packet after the pulse. We show that the shifts arise as a consequence of an intimate interplay between the external field and the binding potential, and that the shifts occur also at lower intensities than used in the experiment, corresponding to the multiphoton regime. In contrast to the recent experiment we do not invoke the concept of a tunnelling time in our explanation of the shifts.