Generation of high-order harmonics from inertially confined molecular ions.

Abstract

We consider the generation of high-order harmonics from inertially confined diatomic molecular ions driven by strong short pulses of laser radiation. Using a simple analytically solvable model, we show that diatomic molecular ions can be a very efficient source of high-order harmonics. The sources of the strong nonlinear response are charge-resonant states of odd-charge molecular ions. We also discuss possibilities for quasi-phase-matching, which are given by the molecular ions and which have no analogies in atomic systems.