Complex dynamics of correlated electrons in molecular double ionization by an ultrashort intense laser pulse

Phys Rev Lett. 2007 Jul 6;99(1):013003. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.013003. Epub 2007 Jul 6.

Abstract

With a semiclassical quasistatic model we achieve insight into the complex dynamics of two correlated electrons under the combined influence of a two-center Coulomb potential and an intense laser field. The model calculation is able to reproduce experimental data of nitrogen molecules for a wide range of laser intensities from the tunneling to the over-the-barrier regime, and predicts a significant alignment effect on the ratio of double over single ion yield. The classical trajectory analysis allows us to unveil subcycle molecular double ionization dynamics.