Steplike intensity threshold behavior of extreme ionization in laser-driven Xe clusters

Abstract

The generation of highly charged Xe${}^{q+}$ ions up to {$q=24$} is observed in Xe clusters embedded in helium nanodroplets and exposed to intense femtosecond laser pulses ($\lambda$=800 nm). Laser intensity resolved measurements show that the high-$q$ ion generation starts at an unexpectedly low threshold intensity of about {10${}^{14}$ W/cm${}^2$}. Above threshold, the Xe ion charge spectrum saturates quickly and changes only weakly for higher laser intensities. Good agreement between these observations and a molecular dynamics analysis allows us to identify the mechanisms responsible for the highly charged ion production and the surprising intensity threshold behavior of the ionization process.

4 pages, 4 figures, content revised

References in corpus (6)

• Atomic excitation during recollision-free ultrafast multi-electron tunnel ionization
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• Energy absorption of xenon clusters in helium nanodroplets under strong laser pulses
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• Plasma Formation Dynamics in Intense Laser-Droplet Interaction
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• Efficiency of Dopant-Induced Ignition of Helium Nanoplasmas
• Formation and relaxation of RbHe exciplexes on He nanodroplets studied by femtosecond pump and picosecond probe spectroscopy
• Resonant charging of Xe clusters in Helium nanodroplets under intense laser fields
• Charging dynamics of dopants in helium nanoplasmas
• Tracing transient charges in expanding clusters
• Development of ion recoil energy distributions in the Coulomb explosion of argon clusters resolved by charge-state selective ion energy spectroscopy
• XUV fluorescence as a probe of laser-induced helium nanoplasma dynamics