Speed-up collisions in strong-field double ionization

doi:10.1364/OPEX.12.004758

Speed-up collisions in strong-field double ionization

Stanley Haan, J. Cully, and K. Hoekema »View Author Affiliations

Optics Express, Vol. 12, Issue 20, pp. 4758-4767 (2004)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OPEX.12.004758

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Abstract

We compare quantum and classical models of double ionization (DI) for aligned-electron helium in strong laser fields, considering specifically the role of recollision processes in which the returning electron travels in the direction of the laser force. Quantum studies show that for the knee region in our model a small but persistent portion of the total DI occurs through these speed-up collisions. We show that classical modeling displays similar collisions and reveals that with-the-force doubly ionizing collisions typically involve two-particle trajectories in which both electrons can be said to have been bound or very nearly bound at the zero of the laser field just before the collision. Trajectories leading to the with-the-force doubly ionizing collisions can be classified into two categories–direct excitation, in which there is no unambiguous single ionization before the doubly ionizing collision, and recapture, in which an ionized electron returns to the core and is recaptured prior to the speed-up collision. Comparison of the classical and quantum situations for our laser parameters yields evidence that for our parameters the quantum system favors the direct-excitation pathway over the reattachment pathway.

OCIS Codes
(020.4180) Atomic and molecular physics : Multiphoton processes
(260.3230) Physical optics : Ionization
(270.6620) Quantum optics : Strong-field processes

ToC Category:
Research Papers

History
Original Manuscript: August 11, 2004
Revised Manuscript: September 16, 2004
Published: October 4, 2004

Citation
Stanley Haan, J. Cully, and K. Hoekema, "Speed-up collisions in strong-field double ionization," Opt. Express 12, 4758-4767 (2004)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-12-20-4758

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References

D. N. Fittinghof, P. R. Bolton, B. Chang and K. C. Kulander, �??Observation of nonsequential double ionization of helium with optical tunneling,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 2642-2645 (1992). [CrossRef]
B. Walker , B. Sheehy, L. F. DiMauro, P. Agostini, K. J. Schafer and K. C. Kulander, �??Precision measurement of strong field double ionization of helium,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 1227-1230 (1994). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
R. D¨orner, Th. Weber, M. Weckenbrock, A. Staudte, M. Hattass, R. Moshammer, J. Ulrich, and H. Schmidt-B¨ocking, �??Multiple Ionization in Strong Laser Fields,�?? Advances in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 48, 1-35 (2002). [CrossRef]
M.V. Ammosov, N.B. Delone, and V.P. Krainov, �??Tunnel ionization of complex atoms and of atomic ions in an alternating electromagnetic field,�?? Sov. Phys. JETP 64, 1191 (1986).
Th. Weber et al., �??Recoil-Ion Momentum Distributions for Single and Double Ionization of Helium in Strong Laser Fields,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 443 (2000). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
R. Moshammer et al., �??Momentum Distributions of Nen+ Ions Created by an Intense Ultrashort Laser Pulse,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 447 (2000). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
P. B. Corkum, �??Plasma perspective on strong field multiphoton ionization,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 1994-1997 (1993). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
K. J. Schafer, B. Yang, L. F. DiMauro and K. C. Kulander, �??Above threshold ionization beyond the high harmonic cutoff,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 1599-1602 (1993). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
K.C. Kulander, J. Cooper, and K.H. Schafer, �??Laser-assisted inelastic rescattering during above-threshold ionization,�?? Phys. Rev. A 51, 561 (1995). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
F. H. M. Faisal and A. Becker, �??Nonsequential double ionization: mechanism and model formula,�?? Laser Phys. 7, 684 (1997).
A. Becker and F.H.M. Faisal, �??Interpretation of momentum distribution of recoil ions from laser induced nonsequential double ionization,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 3546 (2000). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
C. Figueira de Morisson Faria, H. Schomerus, X. Liu, and W. Becker �??Electron-electron dynamics in laserinduced nonsequential double ionization,�?? Phys. Rev. A 69, 043405 (2004). [CrossRef]
H.W. van der Hart and K. Burnett, �??Recollision model for double ionization of atoms in strong lasser fields,�?? Phys. Rev. A 62, 013407 (2000). [CrossRef]
E. Eremina et al. �??Laser-induced non-sequential double ionization investigated at and below the threshold for electron impact ionization,�?? J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 36, 3269-3280 (2003). [CrossRef]
S. L. Haan, P. S. Wheeler, R. Panfili, and J. H. Eberly, �??Origin of correlated electron emission in double ionization of atoms,�?? Phys. Rev. A 66, 061402(R) (2002). [CrossRef]
J. Javanainen, J.H. Eberly, and Qichang Su, �??Numerical simulations of multiphoton ionization and abovethreshold electron spectra,�?? Phys. Rev. A 38, 3430-3446 (1988). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
R. Grobe and J.H. Eberly, �??Photoelectron spectra for a two-electron system in a strong laser field,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 2905-2908 (1992). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
D. Bauer, �??Two-dimensional, two-electron model atom in a laser pulse: Exact treatment, single-activie-electron analysis, time-dependent density-functional theory, classical calculations, and nonsequential ionization,�?? Phys. Rev. A 56, 3028-3039 (1997). [CrossRef]
J.B. Watson, A. Sanpera, D.G. Lappas, P.L. Knight, and K. Burnett, �??Nonsequentiall Double Ionization of Helium,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 1884-1887 (1997). [CrossRef]
W. -C. Liu, J. H. Eberly, S. L. Haan and R. Grobe, �??Correlation Effects in Two-Electron Model Atoms in Intense Laser Fields,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 520-523 (1999). [CrossRef]
A.M. Popov, O.V. Tikhonova, and E.A. Volkova, �??Mechanisms of double-electron ionization of atomic systems in a strong laser field,�?? Opt. Express 8, 441-446 (2001). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
J. S. Parker, B.J.S. Doherty, K.J. Meharg, and K.T. Taylor, �??Time delay between singly and doubly ionizing wavepackets in laser-driven helium,�?? J. Phys. B 36, L393 (2003). [CrossRef]
R. Heather and H. Metiu, �??An efficient procedure for calculating the evolution of the wave function by fast Fourier transform methods for systems with spatially extended wave function and localized potential,�?? J. Chem. Phys. 86, 5009-5017 (1987). [CrossRef]
S. L. Haan, K. Hoekema, S. Poniatowski, W.-C. Liu, and J. H. Eberly, �??Directional correlation in direct and sequential double ionization of model atoms,�?? Opt. Express 7, 29-38 (2000). <a href="http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-7-1-29">http://www.opticsexpress.org/abstract.cfm?URI=OPEX-7-1-29</a> [CrossRef] [PubMed]
S. L. Haan, N. Hoekema, R. Panfili, J. H. Eberly, �??Exploration of Double Ionization Using Wavefunction Masking,�?? manuscript in preparation.
R. Panfili, J. H. Eberly and S. Haan, �??Comparing classical and quantum simulations of strong-field double ionization,�?? Opt. Express 8, 431-435 (2001). <a href="http://www.opticsexpress.org/oearchive/source/31132.htm">http://www.opticsexpress.org/oearchive/source/31132.htm</a> [CrossRef] [PubMed]
R. Panfili, S. L. Haan, and J. H. Eberly, �??Dynamics of classical slow-down collisions in non-sequential double ionization,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 113001 (2002). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Advances in Atomic, Molecular, and Optic

R. D¨orner, Th. Weber, M. Weckenbrock, A. Staudte, M. Hattass, R. Moshammer, J. Ulrich, and H. Schmidt-B¨ocking, �??Multiple Ionization in Strong Laser Fields,�?? Advances in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 48, 1-35 (2002). [CrossRef]

J. Chem. Phys.

R. Heather and H. Metiu, �??An efficient procedure for calculating the evolution of the wave function by fast Fourier transform methods for systems with spatially extended wave function and localized potential,�?? J. Chem. Phys. 86, 5009-5017 (1987). [CrossRef]

J. Phys. B

J. S. Parker, B.J.S. Doherty, K.J. Meharg, and K.T. Taylor, �??Time delay between singly and doubly ionizing wavepackets in laser-driven helium,�?? J. Phys. B 36, L393 (2003). [CrossRef]

J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys.

E. Eremina et al. �??Laser-induced non-sequential double ionization investigated at and below the threshold for electron impact ionization,�?? J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 36, 3269-3280 (2003). [CrossRef]

Laser Phys.

F. H. M. Faisal and A. Becker, �??Nonsequential double ionization: mechanism and model formula,�?? Laser Phys. 7, 684 (1997).

Opt. Express

Phys. Rev. A

K.C. Kulander, J. Cooper, and K.H. Schafer, �??Laser-assisted inelastic rescattering during above-threshold ionization,�?? Phys. Rev. A 51, 561 (1995). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
D. Bauer, �??Two-dimensional, two-electron model atom in a laser pulse: Exact treatment, single-activie-electron analysis, time-dependent density-functional theory, classical calculations, and nonsequential ionization,�?? Phys. Rev. A 56, 3028-3039 (1997). [CrossRef]
C. Figueira de Morisson Faria, H. Schomerus, X. Liu, and W. Becker �??Electron-electron dynamics in laserinduced nonsequential double ionization,�?? Phys. Rev. A 69, 043405 (2004). [CrossRef]
H.W. van der Hart and K. Burnett, �??Recollision model for double ionization of atoms in strong lasser fields,�?? Phys. Rev. A 62, 013407 (2000). [CrossRef]
S. L. Haan, P. S. Wheeler, R. Panfili, and J. H. Eberly, �??Origin of correlated electron emission in double ionization of atoms,�?? Phys. Rev. A 66, 061402(R) (2002). [CrossRef]
J. Javanainen, J.H. Eberly, and Qichang Su, �??Numerical simulations of multiphoton ionization and abovethreshold electron spectra,�?? Phys. Rev. A 38, 3430-3446 (1988). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Phys. Rev. Lett.

R. Grobe and J.H. Eberly, �??Photoelectron spectra for a two-electron system in a strong laser field,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 2905-2908 (1992). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
A. Becker and F.H.M. Faisal, �??Interpretation of momentum distribution of recoil ions from laser induced nonsequential double ionization,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 3546 (2000). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
D. N. Fittinghof, P. R. Bolton, B. Chang and K. C. Kulander, �??Observation of nonsequential double ionization of helium with optical tunneling,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 2642-2645 (1992). [CrossRef]
B. Walker , B. Sheehy, L. F. DiMauro, P. Agostini, K. J. Schafer and K. C. Kulander, �??Precision measurement of strong field double ionization of helium,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 1227-1230 (1994). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Th. Weber et al., �??Recoil-Ion Momentum Distributions for Single and Double Ionization of Helium in Strong Laser Fields,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 443 (2000). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
R. Moshammer et al., �??Momentum Distributions of Nen+ Ions Created by an Intense Ultrashort Laser Pulse,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 447 (2000). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
P. B. Corkum, �??Plasma perspective on strong field multiphoton ionization,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 1994-1997 (1993). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
K. J. Schafer, B. Yang, L. F. DiMauro and K. C. Kulander, �??Above threshold ionization beyond the high harmonic cutoff,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 1599-1602 (1993). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
J.B. Watson, A. Sanpera, D.G. Lappas, P.L. Knight, and K. Burnett, �??Nonsequentiall Double Ionization of Helium,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 1884-1887 (1997). [CrossRef]
W. -C. Liu, J. H. Eberly, S. L. Haan and R. Grobe, �??Correlation Effects in Two-Electron Model Atoms in Intense Laser Fields,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 520-523 (1999). [CrossRef]
R. Panfili, S. L. Haan, and J. H. Eberly, �??Dynamics of classical slow-down collisions in non-sequential double ionization,�?? Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 113001 (2002). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Sov. Phys. JETP

M.V. Ammosov, N.B. Delone, and V.P. Krainov, �??Tunnel ionization of complex atoms and of atomic ions in an alternating electromagnetic field,�?? Sov. Phys. JETP 64, 1191 (1986).

Other

S. L. Haan, N. Hoekema, R. Panfili, J. H. Eberly, �??Exploration of Double Ionization Using Wavefunction Masking,�?? manuscript in preparation.

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