Ionization Induced by the Ponderomotive Force in Intense and High-Frequency Laser Fields

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the ponderomotive force in intense, high-frequency laser fields can induce ionization in atoms, challenging traditional stabilization models and emphasizing the need for improved theoretical treatments.

Contribution

It provides a systematic analysis of the ponderomotive force's role in atomic stabilization, revealing its capacity to cause ionization where stabilization was expected.

Findings

Ponderomotive force can induce tunneling ionization.

Over-barrier ionization occurs due to the ponderomotive force.

Traditional stabilization models may underestimate ionization effects.

Abstract

Atomic stabilization is a universal phenomenon that occurs when atoms interact with intense and high-frequency laser fields. In this work, we systematically study the influence of the ponderomotive (PM) force, present around the laser focus, on atomic stabilization. We show that the PM force could induce tunneling and even over-barrier ionization to the otherwise stabilized atoms. Such effect may overweight the typical multiphoton ionization under moderate laser intensities. Our work highlights the importance of an improved treatment of atomic stabilization that includes the influence of the PM force.