Dynamics of frustrated tunneling ionization driven by inhomogeneous laser fields

Abstract

We theoretically investigated frustrated tunneling ionization (FTI) driven by spatially inhomogeneous strong laser fields induced by surface plasmon resonance within a bow-tie metal nanostructure. The results show that the FTI probability and the principal quantum number distribution exhibit similar oscillatory behavior as a function of the pulse duration. Our analysis reveals that the periodic defocusing and refocusing of the electron spatial distribution due to the inhomogeneous laser field is responsible for the oscillatory structures. In addition, the initial tunneling coordinates and the angular momentum distributions of the FTI events and theirs pulse duration dependence are also explored. Moreover, our results show that the frequency of the oscillatory structures depends sensitively on the electron quiver amplitude and the inhomogeneity strength. Thus, the electron quiver amplitude and the size of the gap between the bow-tie nanostructure are useful and efficient knobs for controlling the yield and properties of exited Rydberg states.

Electron dynamics of molecular frustrated double ionization driven by strong laser fields*

“…Then, the emitted electron is accelerated and driven back by the oscillating laser electric field and recombines with the parent ion core to release high-energy photons or collide elastically or inelastically with the parent ion core, leading to HATI or NSDI. Due to the presence of the Coulomb field of the ion, the electron may also be captured into a Rydberg state after the end of the laser pulse, leading to excited atoms or molecules [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. This is known as frustrated tunneling ionization (FTI).…”