178 research outputs found
Exact field ionization rates in the barrier suppression-regime from numerical TDSE calculations
Numerically determined ionization rates for the field ionization of atomic
hydrogen in strong and short laser pulses are presented. The laser pulse
intensity reaches the so-called "barrier suppression ionization" regime where
field ionization occurs within a few half laser cycles. Comparison of our
numerical results with analytical theories frequently used shows poor
agreement. An empirical formula for the "barrier suppression ionization"-rate
is presented. This rate reproduces very well the course of the numerically
determined ground state populations for laser pulses with different length,
shape, amplitude, and frequency.
Number(s): 32.80.RmComment: Enlarged and newly revised version, 22 pages (REVTeX) + 8 figures in
ps-format, submitted for publication to Physical Review A, WWW:
http://www.physik.tu-darmstadt.de/tqe
A two-dimensional, two-electron model atom in a laser pulse: exact treatment, single active electron-analysis, time-dependent density functional theory, classical calculations, and non-sequential ionization
Owing to its numerical simplicity, a two-dimensional two-electron model atom,
with each electron moving in one direction, is an ideal system to study
non-perturbatively a fully correlated atom exposed to a laser field. Frequently
made assumptions, such as the ``single active electron''- approach and
calculational approximations, e.g. time dependent density functional theory or
(semi-) classical techniques, can be tested. In this paper we examine the
multiphoton short pulse-regime. We observe ``non-sequential'' ionization, i.e.\
double ionization at lower field strengths as expected from a sequential,
single active electron-point of view. Since we find non-sequential ionization
also in purely classical simulations, we are able to clarify the mechanism
behind this effect in terms of single particle trajectories. PACS Number(s):
32.80.RmComment: 10 pages, 16 figures (gzipped postscript), see also
http://www.physik.tu-darmstadt.de/tqe
Many-electron tunneling in atoms
A theoretical derivation is given for the formula describing N-electron
ionization of atom by a dc field and laser radiation in tunneling regime.
Numerical examples are presented for noble gases atoms.Comment: 11 pages, 1 EPS figure, submitted to JETP (Jan 99
Ejection Energy of Photoelectrons in Strong Field Ionization
We show that zero ejection energy of the photoelectrons is classically
impossible for hydrogen-like ions, even when field ionization occurs
adiabatically. To prove this we transform the basic equations to those
describing two 2D anharmonic oscillators. The same method yields an alternative
way to derive the anomalous critical field of hydrogen-like ions. The
analytical results are confirmed and illustrated by numerical simulations. PACS
Number: 32.80.RmComment: 7 pages, REVTeX, postscript file including the figures is available
at http://www.physik.th-darmstadt.de/tqe/dieter/publist.html or via anonymous
ftp from ftp://tqe.iap.physik.th-darmstadt.de/pub/dieter/publ_I_pra_pre.ps,
accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Atomic excitation during recollision-free ultrafast multi-electron tunnel ionization
Modern intense ultrafast pulsed lasers generate an electric field of
sufficient strength to permit tunnel ionization of the valence electrons in
atoms. This process is usually treated as a rapid succession of isolated
events, in which the states of the remaining electrons are neglected. Such
electronic interactions are predicted to be weak, the exception being
recollision excitation and ionization caused by linearly-polarized radiation.
In contrast, it has recently been suggested that intense field ionization may
be accompanied by a two-stage `shake-up' reaction. Here we report a unique
combination of experimental techniques that enables us to accurately measure
the tunnel ionization probability for argon exposed to 50 femtosecond laser
pulses. Most significantly for the current study, this measurement is
independent of the optical focal geometry, equivalent to a homogenous electric
field. Furthermore, circularly-polarized radiation negates recollision. The
present measurements indicate that tunnel ionization results in simultaneous
excitation of one or more remaining electrons through shake-up. From an atomic
physics standpoint, it may be possible to induce ionization from specific
states, and will influence the development of coherent attosecond XUV radiation
sources. Such pulses have vital scientific and economic potential in areas such
as high-resolution imaging of in-vivo cells and nanoscale XUV lithography.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, original format as accepted by Nature Physic
Ultrashort filaments of light in weakly-ionized, optically-transparent media
Modern laser sources nowadays deliver ultrashort light pulses reaching few
cycles in duration, high energies beyond the Joule level and peak powers
exceeding several terawatt (TW). When such pulses propagate through
optically-transparent media, they first self-focus in space and grow in
intensity, until they generate a tenuous plasma by photo-ionization. For free
electron densities and beam intensities below their breakdown limits, these
pulses evolve as self-guided objects, resulting from successive equilibria
between the Kerr focusing process, the chromatic dispersion of the medium, and
the defocusing action of the electron plasma. Discovered one decade ago, this
self-channeling mechanism reveals a new physics, widely extending the frontiers
of nonlinear optics. Implications include long-distance propagation of TW beams
in the atmosphere, supercontinuum emission, pulse shortening as well as
high-order harmonic generation. This review presents the landmarks of the
10-odd-year progress in this field. Particular emphasis is laid to the
theoretical modeling of the propagation equations, whose physical ingredients
are discussed from numerical simulations. Differences between femtosecond
pulses propagating in gaseous or condensed materials are underlined. Attention
is also paid to the multifilamentation instability of broad, powerful beams,
breaking up the energy distribution into small-scale cells along the optical
path. The robustness of the resulting filaments in adverse weathers, their
large conical emission exploited for multipollutant remote sensing, nonlinear
spectroscopy, and the possibility to guide electric discharges in air are
finally addressed on the basis of experimental results.Comment: 50 pages, 38 figure
Strong field ionization in arbitrary laser polarizations
Published versio
Reconstruction and control of a time-dependent two-electron wave packet
The concerted motion of two or more bound electrons governs atomic1 and molecular2,3 non-equilibrium processes including chemical reactions, and hence there is much interest in developing a detailed understanding of such electron dynamics in the quantum regime. However, there is no exact solution for the quantumthree-body problem, and as a result even the minimal system of two active electrons and a nucleus is analytically intractable4. This makes experimental measurements of the dynamics of two bound and correlated electrons, as found in the helium atom, an attractive prospect.However, although the motion of single active electrons and holes has been observed with attosecond time resolution5-7, comparable experiments on two-electron motion have so far remained out of reach. Here we showthat a correlated two-electron wave packet can be reconstructed froma 1.2-femtosecondquantumbeatamong low-lying doubly excited states in helium.The beat appears in attosecond transient-absorption spectra5,7-9 measured with unprecedentedly high spectral resolution and in the presence of an intensity-tunable visible laser field.Wetune the coupling10-12 between the two low-lying quantum states by adjusting the visible laser intensity, and use the Fano resonance as a phase-sensitive quantum interferometer13 to achieve coherent control of the two correlated electrons. Given the excellent agreement with large-scalequantum-mechanical calculations for thehelium atom, we anticipate thatmultidimensional spectroscopy experiments of the type we report here will provide benchmark data for testing fundamental few-body quantumdynamics theory in more complex systems. Theymight also provide a route to the site-specificmeasurement and control of metastable electronic transition states that are at the heart of fundamental chemical reactionsWe thank E. Lindroth for calculating the dipole moment (2p2|r|sp2,3+), and also A. Voitkiv, Z.-H. Loh, and R. Moshammer for helpful discussions. We acknowledge financial support by the Max-Planck Research Group Program of the Max-Planck Gesellschaft (MPG) and the European COST Action CM1204 XLIC. L. A. and F. M. acknowledge computer time from the CCC-UAM and Mare Nostrum supercomputer centers and financial support by the European Research Council under the ERC Advanced Grant no. 290853 XCHEM, the Ministerio de EconomĂa y Competitividad projects FIS2010-15127, FIS2013-42002-R and ERA-Chemistry PIM2010EEC-00751, and the European grant MC-ITN CORIN
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