A simple method for the determination of saturation intensities and in some cases generalized cross sections in multiphoton ionization is presented. It utilizes the dependence of the ponderomotive shift on the laser intensity above the saturation limit. An application to He and Ar interacting with 500 fs pulses at 248 nm is demonstrated. Experimental results are compared with theoretical calculations.

Absolute values for the generalized multiphoton-ionization cross sections and saturation intensities of rare gases are reported for 500-fs, 248.6-nm pulses. For He, Ar, and Kr these values are experimentally determined from the intensity dependence of the ponderomotive shift for intensities comparable to and above the saturation intensity. Xe =5×10 -82 cm 6 s 2 multichannel quantum defect theory]. For Ne it is found that a single-rate description is not valid, and therefore the present model for the analysis of the experimental results cannot be applied. The reported Xe experimental cross sections are based on the conventional method of measuring the ion yield vs laser intensity with its concomitant reduced accuracy.

We report the observation of coherent control of the ionization rate in four-photon resonant, five-photon ionization schemes in Kr and Xe. The intermediate resonance is excited via different interfering channels involving four-photon absorption of the fundamental laser frequency ( ionization) as well as one third harmonic and one fundamental frequency photon absorption ( excitation), a particular aspect of the scheme being that interference occurs at a virtual level. By varying the relative phase of the two electromagnetic fields, a large modulation depth has been observed which is due to the chosen non-linear excitation scheme. In the Xe excitation experiment the interference between the different channels could be additionally probed through the modulation of the third-harmonic signal.

We report the observation of a two-photon ionization process in the XUV wavelength regime. In a near-resonant 1 + 1 ionization scheme, Ar atoms are ionized absorbing the 15 eV third harmonic photons produced in a gas jet by the 0.5 ps intense laser pulses of a KrF excimer laser emitting at 248.6 nm. The present demonstration of a non-linear process in the XUV regime reveals feasibility of high-intensity applications utilizing the uniquely high peak power of non-conventional short wavelength radiation sources based on harmonic generation.

The multiphoton ionization and photoelectron spectra of magnesium were studied at laser intensities of up to 6 × 10 13 Wcm −2 using 150 fs laser pulses of a wavelength of 400 nm. The results indicated that a variety of different ionization mechanisms played a role in both types of spectra. A theoretical model describing the processes is presented and the routes to ionization are identified. The work demonstrates the significance of the two-electron nature of the atom in interpreting the experimental results.