Strong-field photoionization in two-center atomic systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a neighboring atom can influence the ionization of an atom in a strong laser field, revealing conditions where two-center electron interactions dominate ionization processes.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of two-center photoionization mechanisms under various laser field configurations and identifies parameter regimes favoring two-center pathways.

Findings

Two-center ionization can dominate under specific laser parameters.

Resonant conditions enhance energy transfer between atoms.

Different coupling regimes affect the ionization pathway dominance.

Abstract

Photoionization of an atom $A$ by a strong laser field in the presence of a spatially well-separated neighboring atom $B$ is considered. The laser field frequency is assumed to lie below the ionization potential of atom $A$ and be resonant with a dipole-allowed transition in atom $B$. In this situation, the ionization may occur either directly by multiphoton absorption from the laser field at the first atomic center. Or via an indirect pathway involving two-center electron-electron correlations, where the neighbor atom $B$ is first photoexcited and, afterwards, transfers its energy upon deexcitation radiationlessly to atom $A$. Considering monochromatic as well as bichromatic laser fields, we study various coupling regimes of the photoionization process and identify experimentally accessible parameter domains where the two-center channel is dominant.