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Within the framework of the improved quantitative rescattering (QRS) model, we simulate the correlated two-electron momentum distributions (CMDs) for nonsequential double ionization (NSDI) of Ar by elliptically polarized laser pulses with a wavelength of 788 nm at an intensity of 0.7 × 1014 W/cm2 for the ellipticities ranging from 0 to 0.3. Only the CMDs for recollision excitation with subsequent ionization (RESI) are calculated and the contribution from recollision direct ionization is neglected. According to the QRS model, the CMD for RESI can be factorized as a product of the parallel momentum distribution (PMD) for the first released electron after recollision and the PMD for the second electron ionized from an excited state of the parent ion. The PMD for the first electron is obtained from the laser-free differential cross sections for electron impact excitation of Ar+ calculated using state-of-the-art many-electron R-matrix theory while that for the second electron is evaluated by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. The results show that the CMDs for all the ellipticities considered here exhibit distinct anticorrelated back-to-back emission of the electrons along the major polarization direction, and the anticorrelation is more pronounced with increasing ellipticity. It is found that anticorrelation is attributed to the pattern of the PMD for the second electron ionized from the excited state that, in turn, is caused by the delayed recollision time with respect to the instant of the external field crossing. Our work shows that both the ionization potential of the excited parent ion and the laser intensity play important roles in the process.

We report on a comparative study of strong-field ionization of alkaline-earth-metal atoms by intense femtosecond laser pulses from near-infrared to midinfrared wavelengths. By collecting the ionization signals only produced within the central portion of the laser focus, the focus volume effect is largely reduced and the saturation intensities for different alkaline-earth-metal atoms are reliably determined, which permits us to directly test the strong-field-ionization theories. We demonstrate that the Perelomov-Popov-Terent'ev model accurately predicts the experimental ionization yields and saturation intensities in general for arbitrary values of the Keldysh parameter, while the Ammosov-Delone-Krainov simulations agree with the experiments for the tunneling-ionization regime and also for the regime when the Keldysh parameter is around 1. Our work presents benchmark data for strong-field ionization of alkaline-earth metals over a broad range of laser parameters and confirms the validity of Keldysh's picture for such atoms.

We report on a systematic investigation of wavelength scaling strong-field double ionization of Mg in intense laser fields. A significant decrease of nonsequential double ionization (NSDI) yield with increasing wavelength from 800--2000 nm is observed. Our data is well reproduced by a three-dimensional Monte Carlo simulation considering recollision impact excitation cross section. We demonstrate that the NSDI of Mg mainly occurs via the first ionic excited state ${\mathrm{Mg}}^{+*}(3p\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{2}P_{3/2,1/2})$ pumped by returning electron impact process. The recollision impact direct ionization pathway plays a minor role here. The wavelength dependence of the NSDI ratio is due to the recollision energy-dependent excitation cross section as well as the electron wave packet diffusion effects, both sensitively depending on the wavelength. Our work represents a step towards strong-field double ionization experiments on Mg in the long wavelength limit and sheds light on the NSDI mechanism of alkaline-earth metal atoms.

Electron correlation is ubiquitous across diverse physical systems from atoms and molecules to condensed matter. Observing and controlling dynamical electron correlation in photoinduced processes paves the way to the coherent control of chemical reactionsand photobiological processes. Here, we experimentally investigate dynamics of electron correlation in double ionization of neon irradiated by intense elliptically polarized laser pulses. We find a characteristic, ellipticity-dependent, correlated electron emission along the minor axis of the elliptically polarized light. This observation is well reproduced by a semi-classical ensemble model simulation. By tracing back the corresponding electron trajectories, we find that the dynamical energy sharing during the electron emission process is modified by the ellipticity of the laser light. Thus, our work provides evidence for a possible ultrafast control of the energy sharing between the correlated electrons by varying the light ellipticity.

We theoretically demonstrate the feasibility of separation of various of intracycle interferences in photoelectron momentum distributions (PMDs) with a polarization-gated (PG) pulse constructed by a left-circularly polarized and a time-delayed right-circularly polarized few-cycle laser pulse. By numerically solving the time-dependent Schrodinger equation, our simulations show that the intercycle interference pattern is suppressed and a clear interference pattern with rightward curved stripes emerges in PMDs with appropriate laser parameters. This interference pattern can be well reproduced by a quantum-trajectory Monte Carlo (QTMC) simulation and, moreover, with the help of QTMC analysis, up to three types of intracycle interferences can be identified. It is further revealed that the nonvanishing transverse electric-field component in the PG pulse plays an important role in separating various of intracycle interferences in PMDs by properly distributing the interference stripes of electron wave packets, emitted within different time windows, into different momentum regions and suppressing the forward-rescattering photoelectron holography.

Experimental and theoretical investigations of the wavelength dependence of the nonsequential double ionization (NSDI) process of the xenon atom in intense laser fields are reported. The observed wavelength dependence of the ratio Xe2+/Xe+ deviates significantly from the prediction of the three-step model of ionization (sometimes called the "simple-man" model), both in the slope of the overall decrease with increasing wavelength and in the existence of some pronounced humps. A semiclassical model calculation reproduces the changing slope of the overall decrease, which is due to the interplay of wave-packet diffusion, Coulomb focusing, and a closely related Coulomb defocusing effect of the liberated electron. The hump is beyond the scope of the semiclassical model.

The long-range Coulomb effect (LRCE) is demonstrated experimentally and theoretically by investigating the pulse duration dependence of low-energy structure (LES) in above-threshold ionization of Ne. It is found experimentally that at 800 nm the LES shows itself as a double-hump structure (DHS) in momentum distribution of singly charged ion for Ne, and moreover, this structure is more prominent for multicycle laser fields than for few-cycle cases. This result can be reproduced and explained qualitatively with a semiclassical model and attributed to the paramount role of LRCE. That is to say, after the laser field vanishes, the electrons decelerate while flying away from the core by the long-range tail of Coulomb potential, which eventually makes DHS less notable.

Using a semiclassical approach, we theoretically study the above-threshold ionization of magnesium by intense, mid-infrared laser pulses. The formation of low-energy structures in the photoelectron spectrum is found to be enhanced by comparing with a calculation based on the single-active electron approximation. By performing electron trajectory and recollision-time distribution analysis, we demonstrate that this phenomenon is due to the laser-induced ionic core polarization effects on the recolliding electrons. We also show that the polarization effects should be experimentally detectable. Our finding provides new insight into ultrafast control of strong-field photoionization and imaging of polar molecules.

We perform an experimental study on comparison between the ionization of homonuclear diatomic molecules (O-2 and N-2) and their companion atoms (Xe and Ar) radiated by circularly polarized intense laser fields. We find that the ionization of O-2 shows suppression with respect to its companion atom Xe, which exhibits a clear wavelength and intensity dependence similar to that in linearly polarized laser field, while the ionization of N-2 behaves like its companion atom Ar. With the help of S-matrix theoretical analysis, our observations can be attributed to both the molecular orbital and the two-center interference effect in molecular ionization process.

We experimentally investigate strong-field ionization of noble-gas atoms in elliptically polarized laser fields with the Keldysh parameter gamma similar to 1, which is typical for most current strong-field experiments. Our data show that the single-ionization yields exhibit a rapid decrease with increasing elipticity and, moreover, the decrease becomes more dramatic for lower laser intensity. The experimental results are compared with the simulations of the Ammosov-Delone-Krainov (ADK) theory based on the quasistatic tunneling ionization picture and the strong-field approximation (SFA) theory, which involves the nonadiabatic effect in the tunneling ionization process. Our results show that although both the ADK simulations and the SFA calculations can qualitatively reproduce the experimental results, the SFA calculations are in a better agreement with the experimental data than the ADK simulations, which implies a nonadiabatic effect during strong-field atomic ionization for elliptical polarization with gamma similar to 1.

Diatomic molecules (e.g., O(2)) in an intense laser field exhibit a peculiar suppressed ionization behavior compared to their companion atoms. Several physical models have been proposed to account for this suppression, while no consensus has been achieved. In this Letter, we aim to clarify the underlying mechanisms behind this molecular ionization suppression. Experimental data recorded at midinfrared laser wavelength and its comparison with that at near-infrared wavelength revealed a peculiar wavelength and intensity dependence of the suppressed ionization of O(2) with respect to its companion atom of Xe, while N(2) behaves like a structureless atom. It is found that the S-matrix theory calculation can reproduce well the experimental observations and unambiguously identifies the significant role of two-center interference effect in the ionization suppression of O(2).

We present experimental and theoretical evidence on the breakdown of the simple man's model in the high-energy recollision region by examining both the energy-resolved angular distribution of photoelectrons in above-threshold ionization and the spectrum of high-order harmonics generated in elliptically polarized driver fields. With the help of a semiclassical model calculation, we show that, surprisingly, even for the high-energy recollision electrons, their wave-packet dynamics can be influenced strongly by the Coulomb field.

We present energy-resolved angular distributions of photoelectrons generated in above-threshold ionization (ATI) of nonaligned diatomic molecules N2 and O2 in high-intensity short laser pulses, with emphasis on the most energetic part of the spectra. The angular distribution for photoelectrons with energy of 10Up (Up: ponderomotive energy), i.e., the plateau cutoff in ATI spectra, is found to be broader in O2 than in N2. Resorting to the analyses from both an S-matrix theory and an intuitive semiclassical model, we attribute the observation to the effect of the ground state molecular orbital structure on high-energy electron emission in strong-field molecular ionization. PACS numbers: 33.80.Rv, 33.80.Wz, 42.50.Hz When an atom or molecule interacts with an optical field of peak intensity around 10 14 W=cm 2 , the outmost electron is first tunnel ionized, accelerated in the oscillating electric field of the laser, and may be driven back to its parent ion. This recolliding process, being the core ingredient of the rescattering scenario [1], has initiated many interesting laser-induced phenomena. Among them, imaging the dynamics of complex molecules with the help of the recolliding electron current, has attracted a lot of attention in the strong-field physics community [2]. Recently, it was reported that the outmost molecular orbital of the N2 molecule can be extracted from the high-order harmonic generation spectra using the tomographic procedure [3]. Therein, structural information of the molecule may be extracted from the recombination process of the recolliding

We present high resolution photoelectron energy spectra of noble gas atoms from high intensity above-threshold ionization (ATI) at midinfrared wavelengths. An unexpected structure at the very low-energy portion of the spectra, in striking contrast to the prediction of the simple-man theory, has been revealed. A semiclassical model calculation is able to reproduce the experimental feature and suggests the prominent role of the Coulomb interaction of the outgoing electron with the parent ion in producing the peculiar structure in long wavelength ATI spectra.