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Results of angle-resolved electron spectroscopy of near-threshold photoionization of Ne atoms by combined femtosecond extreme ultraviolet and near infrared fields are presented. The dressed-electron spectra show an energetic distribution into so-called sidebands, being separated by the photon energy of the dressing laser. Surprisingly, for the low kinetic energy (few eV) sidebands, the photoelectron energy varies as a function of the emission angle. Such behavior has not yet been observed in sideband creation and has not been predicted in commonly used theoretical descriptions such as strong field approximation and soft photon approach. Describing the photoionization with a time-dependent Schrödinger equation allows a qualitative description of the observed effect, as well as the prediction of fine structure in the sideband distribution.

Arbitrary manipulation of the temporal and spectral properties of x-ray pulses at free-electron lasers would revolutionize many experimental applications. At the Linac Coherent Light Source at Stanford National Accelerator Laboratory, the momentum phase-space of the free-electron laser driving electron bunch can be tuned to emit a pair of x-ray pulses with independently variable photon energy and femtosecond delay. However, while accelerator parameters can easily be adjusted to tune the electron bunch phase-space, the final impact of these actuators on the x-ray pulse cannot be predicted with sufficient precision. Furthermore, shot-to-shot instabilities that distort the pulse shape unpredictably cannot be fully suppressed. Therefore, the ability to directly characterize the x-rays is essential to ensure precise and consistent control. In this work, we have generated x-ray pulse pairs via electron bunch shaping and characterized them on a single-shot basis with femtosecond resolution through time-resolved photoelectron streaking spectroscopy. This achievement completes an important step toward future x-ray pulse shaping techniques.