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Separation Of Recollision Mechanisms In Nonsequential Strong Field Double Ionization Of Ar: The Role Of Excitation Tunneling, Bernold Feuerstein, Daniel Fischer, Alexander Dorn, Claus Dieter Schroter, J. Deipenwisch, Jose R. Crespo Lopez-Urrutia, C. Hohr, Paul B. Neumayer, Horst Rottke, Christoph Trump, M. Wittmann, Georg Korn, Wolfgang Sandner, Robert Moshammer, Joachim Hermann Ullrich

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Vector momentum distributions of two electrons created in double ionization of Ar by 25 fs, 0.25PW/cm² laser pulses at 795 nm have been measured using a “reaction microscope.” At this intensity, where nonsequential ionization dominates, distinct correlation patterns are observed in the two-electron momentum distributions. A kinematical analysis of these spectra within the classical “recollision model” revealed an (e,2e)-like process and excitation with subsequent tunneling of the second electron as two different ionization mechanisms. This allows a qualitative separation of the two mechanisms demonstrating that excitation-tunneling is the dominant contribution to the total double ionization yield.