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Soviet Physics Uspekhi

Multiphoton ionization of atoms

Nikolai B. Delone

Published Mar 31, 1975• 57 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The most important results of study of multiphoton ionization of atoms are reviewed. Discussions are presented of specific features of the process, theoretical methods of description of ionization of atoms in a strong light field, the basic principles of design of experiments in which intense laser radiation is used, results of investigation of direct and resonance processes of multiphoton ionization, and the mutual relation between multiphoton processes (multiphoton excitation and ionization) and various phenomena leading to perturbation of the spectrum of bound states of an electron in an atom under the influence of a strong light field.

DOI
10.1070/pu1975v018n03abeh001952

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The most important results of study of multiphoton ionization of atoms are reviewed. Discussions are presented of specific features of the process, theoretical methods of description of ionization of atoms in a strong light field, the basic principles of design of experiments in which intense laser radiation is used, results of investigation of direct and resonance processes of multiphoton ionization, and the mutual relation between multiphoton processes (multiphoton excitation and ionization) and various phenomena leading to perturbation of the spectrum of bound states of an electron in an atom under the influence of a strong light field.
The non linear interaction between an intense laser radiation and atoms leads to ionization through the absorption of N photons from the laser radiation via laser-induced virtual states. The multiphoton ionization rate varies as a function of the laser intensity I as IN. We discuss the two most important effects which govern multiphoton ionization processes : resonance effects and laser-coherence effects. In a moderate laser intensity range (107 - 109 W cm-2) corresponding to the two, three or four-photon ionization of atoms, resonance effects play a dominant role while the photon statistics of the laser radiation are relatively unimportant. On the contrary, in the very high intensity range (1012 - 1013 W cm-2) required to observe large Nth - order ionization processes, coherence effects play a dominant role through N! enhancement in the N-photon ionization rate, while resonance effects are completely damped due to the high laser intensity. We conclude by reviewing the possible applications of multiphoton absorption processes in other fields.
A model of multiple resonances between groups of discrete and autoionizing levels is proposed for the description of the process of multiphoton ionization. The phenomena of the extremely rapid broadening and growth of amplitudes of the multiphoton resonances, observed experimentally in the yield of Sr+ and Ba+ ions [ J. Phys. B.14, 2253– 2359 ( 1981);Elementary Processes in Laser Radiation Field ( 1988), pp. 122– 153)] are explained on the basis of this model. The strong-coupling method was used in numerical calculations for Sr and Ba atoms in a strong laser field.
Some typical resonance nonlinear-optics phenomena taking place when light interacts with atoms are considered. The multitude of such phenomena reduces to scattering of the perturbing light, perturbation of the atomic spectrum, excitation of an atom and its ionization. In all these cases the investigations are carried out using the simplest model—an isolated atom in a monochromatic external field. Such a model enables one to give an exact description of many elementary processes. On the other hand it is sufficiently realistic. A detailed investigation is carried out of resonance fluorescence, spontaneous Raman scattering, multiphoton excitation of atoms, resonance shifts and splitting of atomic levels and resonance lonication of atoms. The nature of these processes is investigated as a function of the intensity of the external field, its frequency, a specific atomic spectrum, the nature of polarization of the perturbing field, and the degree of its nonlinearity. The role played by the field of the electromagnetic vacuum is analyzed. Theoretical predictions are compared with the results of many experiments describing resonance processes of the interaction of an intense light field with atoms.
The review is devoted to new effects discovered recently in the course of studying the process of nonlinear ionization of atoms in the field of laser radiation—above-threshold ionization, manifestation of multielectron structure of complex atoms, formation of multiply charged ions, tunneling ionization, and emission of short-wavelength radiation. The main experimental data and their theoretical interpretation are presented. A discussion is given of the criteria for the applicability of the lowest non-vanishing order of non-steady-state perturbation theory to the description of the interaction of an atom with the electromagnetic field.
The review describes and interprets the basic phenomena recently observed in the interaction between free atoms and laser radiation. Some of these have been known for a long time in magnetic resonance but in the optical range, the situation is strongly modified because of spontaneous emission and the Doppler effect. Therefore, particular attention is paid to resonance fluorescence and Doppler-free spectroscopy but without dwelling on applications. Transient effects are also discussed, but all the phenomena which characterize, not specifically the interaction between atoms and fields, but the free evolution of atoms after coherent excitation are ignored. Pulse propagation experiments are described in detail and multiphoton processes are considered, with special emphasis on Doppler-free multiphoton excitation and resonant multiphoton ionization.