Slingshot non-sequential double ionization as a gate to anti-correlated two electron escape

TL;DR

This paper reveals that at certain laser intensities, a Coulomb slingshot mechanism causes anti-correlated double ionization in helium, providing a new explanation for electron escape patterns in strong-field physics.

Contribution

It introduces the Coulomb slingshot as a key mechanism for non-sequential double ionization at below-recollision threshold intensities, expanding understanding of electron dynamics.

Findings

Slingshot-NSDI is prevalent at low intensities and pulse durations.

Anti-correlated electron escape is a hallmark of this mechanism.

Provides an alternative explanation for previous observations of anti-correlated escape.

Abstract

At intensities below-the-recollision threshold, we show that re-collision-induced excitation with one electron escaping fast after re-collision and the other electron escaping with a time delay via a Coulomb slingshot motion is one of the most important mechanisms of non-sequential double ionization, for strongly-driven He at 400 nm. Slingshot-NSDI is a general mechanism present for a wide range of low intensities and pulse durations. Anti-correlated two-electron escape is its striking hallmark. This mechanism offers an alternative explanation of anti-correlated two-electron escape obtained in previous studies.