Recoil-ion momentum distributions for two-photon double ionization of He and Ne by 44 eV free-electron laser radiation

Phys Rev Lett. 2008 Aug 15;101(7):073003. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.073003. Epub 2008 Aug 15.

Abstract

Recoil-ion momentum distributions for two-photon double ionization of He and Ne (variant Planck's over omega=44 eV) have been recorded with a reaction microscope at FLASH (the free-electron laser at Hamburg) at an intensity of approximately 1 x 10(14) W/cm2 exploring the dynamics of the two fundamental two-photon-two-electron reaction pathways, namely, sequential and direct (or nonsequential) absorption of the photons. We find strong differences in the recoil-ion momentum patterns for the two mechanisms pointing to the significantly different two-electron emission dynamics and thus provide serious constraints for theoretical models.