ATOMIC STABILIZATION IN THE PRESENCE OF INTENSE LASER PULSES

Abstract

The nonperturbative response of atomic systems under strong laser radiation has been an important area of research both experimentally and theoretically. In a typical experiment, a very high power laser (operating at an intensity of the order of 1013 W/cm 2 or higher, delivering 1 µm wavelength light pulses with duration from a few pico-seconds down to a few hundred femto-seconds) is focused down to a tight spot in space filled with dilute gas where ionization occurs. These experiments have been successful in studying the single-atom strong-field physics where the predictions of ionization based on low-field perturbation theory are invalid. Various theories have been used to explain new effects associated with different intensity regions. In this review we intend to summarize the steps for arriving at a new theoretical prediction of atoms in laser pulses of intensity 1016 W/cm 2 or stronger. The prediction that atoms tend to stabilize in laser pulses strong enough to produce full ionization is rather counter-intuitive. The phenomenon of atomic stabilization will be introduced through space-time integration of Schrödinger equation. A more quantitative account of the associated effects during a stabilization will be analyzed through a simplified one-dimensional long-range potential. To further understand the features of stabilization, a one-dimensional short-range potential is also employed. We will mention some possible experimental consequences of stabilization.