Vector momentum distributions of Ne(n+) (n = 1,2,3) ions created by 30 fs, approximately 1 PW/cm(2) laser pulses at 795 nm have been measured using recoil-ion momentum spectroscopy. Distinct maxima along the light polarization axis are observed at 4.0 and 7.5 a.u. for Ne2+ and Ne3+ production, respectively. Hence, mechanisms based on an instantaneous release of two (or more) electrons can be ruled out as a dominant contribution to nonsequential strong-field multiple ionization. The positions of the maxima are in accord with kinematical constraints set by the classical "rescattering model."

We present results of high-resolution experiments on single ionization of He, Ne and Ar by ultra-short (25 fs, 6 fs) 795 nm laser pulses at intensities 0.15 -2.0. 10 15 W/cm 2 . We show that the ATI-like pattern can survive deep in the tunneling regime and that the atomic structure plays an important role in the formation of the low-energy photoelectron spectra even at high intensities. The absence of ponderomotive shifts, the splitting of the peaks and their degeneration for few-cycle pulses indicate that the observed structures originate from a resonant process.

Fully differential data for H2 dissociation in ultrashort (6 fs, 760 nm), linearly polarized, intense (0.44 PW/cm{2}) laser pulses with a stabilized carrier-envelope phase (CEP) were recorded with a reaction microscope. Depending on the CEP, the molecular orientation, and the kinetic energy release (KER), we find asymmetric proton emission at low KERs (0-3 eV), basically predicted by Roudnev and Esry, and much stronger than reported by Kling et al. Wave packet propagation calculations reproduce the salient features and discard, together with the observed KER-independent electron asymmetry, the first ionization step to be the reason for the asymmetric proton emission.

Vector momentum distributions of two electrons created in double ionization of Ar by 25 fs, 0.25 PW/cm(2) laser pulses at 795 nm have been measured using a "reaction microscope." At this intensity, where nonsequential ionization dominates, distinct correlation patterns are observed in the two-electron momentum distributions. A kinematical analysis of these spectra within the classical "recollision model" revealed an (e,2e)-like process and excitation with subsequent tunneling of the second electron as two different ionization mechanisms. This allows a qualitative separation of the two mechanisms demonstrating that excitation-tunneling is the dominant contribution to the total double ionization yield.

Severe thunderstorms constitute a major weather hazard in Europe, with an estimated total damage of 5-8 billion euros each year nowadays. Even though there is an upward trend in damage due to increases in vulnerability and possibly also due to climate change impacts, a pan-European database of severe thunderstorm reports in a homogeneous data format did not exist until a few years ago. The development of this European Severe Weather Database (ESWD) provided the final impetus for the establishment of the European Severe Storms Laboratory (ESSL) as a non-profit research organisation in 2006, after having started as an informal network in 2002. Our paper provides an overview of the first research results that have been achieved by ESSL. We start by outlining the reporting practice and quality-control procedure for the database, which has been enhanced by a major software upgrade in the fall of 2008. It becomes apparent that the state of reporting converges to a realistic description of the severe storms climatology, corroborating, for instance, earlier estimates of tornado occurrence in Europe. Nevertheless, a further rise in the number of reported events must be expected, even without the presence of any physical trends. The European tornado and damaging wind intensity distributions as a function of the Fujita scale are quantitatively similar to long-term distributions from the USA, except for a strong underreporting of weak events (F0) that still persists in Europe. In addition, the ESSL has recently proposed a new wind speed scale, the Energy-or "E-scale" which is linked to physical quantities and can be calibrated. Finally, we demonstrate the large potential of ESWD data use for forecast or nowcasting/warning verification purposes.