Merrick J. DeWitt, E. Wells, and R.R. Jones
Abstract:Intense-laser ionization rates for rare gas atoms and diatomic molecules have been precisely compared by making simultaneous measurements of ionization yield vs. laser intensity for mixed atomic and molecular targets. At a given laser intensity, the N_2 and F_2 ionization yields are slightly greater than that of Ar. Conversely, comparison of O_2 and S_2 with Xe indicates significant suppression in these molecules. Recent molecular ionization models that successfully describe ionization suppression in O_2 and its absence in N_2 fail to explain our observations in F_2 and S_2.
Status: Published, Phys. Rev. Lett.87, 153001 (2001).