Electronic dynamics and frequency-dependent effects in circularly polarized strong-field physics

TL;DR

This paper investigates how circularly polarized strong laser fields influence ionization dynamics, revealing significant non-adiabatic effects caused by frequency-dependent barrier lowering, which challenge static-field interpretations.

Contribution

It provides a quantum mechanical analysis of frequency-dependent non-adiabatic effects in circularly polarized strong-field ionization, highlighting the importance of time-dependent electronic dynamics.

Findings

Ionization rates can differ by over an order of magnitude from static-field models.

Non-adiabatic effects are primarily due to effective barrier lowering caused by laser frequency.

Standard static-field interpretations are insufficient for describing circularly polarized strong-field interactions.

Abstract

We analyze, quantum mechanically, the dynamics of ionization with a strong, circularly polarized, laser field. We show that the main source for non-adiabatic effects is connected to an effective barrier lowering due to the laser frequency. Such non-adiabatic effects manifest themselves through ionization rates and yields that depart up to more than one order of magnitude from a static-field configuration. Beyond circular polarization, these results show the limits of standard instantaneous - static-field like - interpretation of laser-matter interaction and the great need for including time dependent electronic dynamics.