Single-ionization of helium at Ti:Sapphire wavelengths: rates and scaling laws

Abstract

We present a numerical and theoretical study of intense-field single-electron ionization of helium at 390 nm and 780 nm. Accurate ionization rates (over an intensity range of (0.175–34) × 1014 W cm−2, at 390 nm, and (0.275–14.4) × 1014 W cm−2 at 780 nm) are obtained from full-dimensionality integrations of the time-dependent helium-laser Schrödinger equation. We show that the power law of lowest order perturbation theory, modified with a ponderomotive-shifted ionization potential, is capable of modelling the ionization rates over an intensity range that extends up to two orders of magnitude higher than that applicable to perturbation theory alone. Writing the modified perturbation theory in terms of scaled wavelength and intensity variables, we obtain to first approximation a single ionization law for both the 390 nm and 780 nm cases. To model the data in the high intensity limit as well as in the low, a new function is introduced for the rate. This function has, in part, a resemblance to that derived from tunnelling theory but, importantly, retains the correct frequency-dependence and scaling behaviour derived from the perturbative-like models at lower intensities. Comparison with the predictions of classical ADK tunnelling theory confirms that ADK performs poorly in the frequency and intensity domain treated here.