Knee structure in double ionization of noble atoms in circularly polarized laser fields

Abstract

Nonsequential double ionization is characterized by a knee structure in the plot of double-ionization probability versus laser intensity. In circularly polarized (CP) laser fields, this structure has only been observed for Mg atoms. By choosing laser fields according to a scaling law, we exhibit the knee structure in CP laser fields for Ar and He atoms. The collision of the ionized electron with the core enhances the ionization of the second electron and forms the knee structure. The electron recollision is universal in CP laser fields, but the ionization probability in the knee region decreases as the wavelength of the driven field increases. For experimental observations, it is beneficial to use target atoms with small ionization potentials and laser fields with short wavelengths.