The production of molecular and atomic ions has been measured for CO, N2 and O2 with 1064 and 532 nm 40 ps pulses in the 1012-1014 W cm-2 intensity range. A simultaneous ionization-dissociation process occurs at lower intensities, while a sequential process appears in oxygen at higher intensities.

We present experimental measurements of harmonic generation in xenon using a 1064-nm 40-psec Nd-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser. The harmonic yield is studied as a function of the position of the laser focus in the atomic beam. It shows regular oscillations whose period decreases with increasing harmonic order and which can be interpreted as phase-matching effects due to the tight focusing geo

We present a completely ab initio calculation of harmonic generation in xenon exposed to a strong laser field. The time-dependent Schrödinger equation for the atomic response and the propagation equation are numerically integrated yielding excellent agreement with experiment. The weaker variation with pump intensity of the induced dipole in the high-field regime leads to an enormous enhancement in

We present an approach to describe the phase matching of high harmonics emitted by laser driven atoms in a nonperturbative regime, for which the atomic response displays an intrinsic intensity-dependent phase. We show that the traditional phase-matching conditions involving conservation of wave vectors should be modified by taking into account the gradient of this atomic phase. We investigate vari

Singly, doubly, triply, and quadruply charged krypton ions are formed by multiphoton absorption processes in krypton atoms. They are induced by a 50-psec laser pulse at 1.064 m in the 1013-1014-W-cm-2 intensity range. The percentage ratio between the numbers of doubly and singly ionized Kr atoms is 10% at 8×1013 W cm-2. It is shown that Kr2+ ions result from a direct 33-photon absorption process.

Multiply charged ions are easily formed in rare gases by multiphoton absorption processes. For Kr and Xe up to quadruply charged ions are formed. They are induced by a bandwidth-limited 50 ps laser pulse at 1.064 W cm -2 intensity range. Doubly charged ions are formed through the absorption of a very large number of photons (29 for Xe) in a direct transition from the ground state of the atom to th

We present a theoretical interpretation of the experimental results on three-photon-resonant four-photon ionization of Kr reported by Landen, Perry, and Campbell [Phys. Rev. Lett. 59, 2558 (1987)] and Perry and Landen [Phys. Rev. A 38, 2815 (1988)]. Our calculations are based on multichannel quantum-defect theory combined with a density-matrix formalism describing the spatiotemporal development of

Xe**2** plus ions can easily be formed by multiphoton absorption in Xe atoms at 0. 53 mu m. A kinetic model is developed which is based on the rate equations describing the evolution of populations of Xe atoms, Xe** plus and Xe**2** plus ions. The result is that the ratio of the number of Xe**2** plus to Xe** plus ions varies with the pulse duration tau as tau ** minus **3**/**2.

Multiphoton ionisation of He at 532 nm is investigated at about 1013 W cm-2 by measuring both electron energy distribution, and the laser intensity dependence of the production of He+ and He2+ ions. He2+ ions solely come from multiphoton ionisation of He+ ions.

A retarding-potential method has been used to analyse the energy of electrons produced in the process of generating singly and doubly charged ions in Xe and Ne at 532 and 1064 nm. Energetic electrons observed in Xe at 1064 nm imply that up to 30 photons have been absorbed in the ionisation process, while only 11 photons are necessary to release one electron. The laser intensity dependence of energ

We present results of experiments testing the influence of elliptical polarization on the production of high-order harmonics. Experiments were conducted both with a 600-nm, 1-psec dye laser and with an 825-nm, 140-fsec Cr:LiSAF6 (Cr:LiSAF) laser system, over a wide range of intensities and target gases (xenon, argon, and neon), using a detection system with a dynamical range of more than three ord

A new generation of sources of XUV harmonic radiation, delivering 'attosecond' pulses, makes feasible to investigate photoionization in the time domain, with unprecedented resolution. Here, we discuss theoretical aspects related to this new class of experiments.

We present a theory attempting an interpretation of existing data on three- and four-photon ionization of Sr in the wavelength range 557-575 nm and at 532 nm. Two-photon resonances with bound excited states and three-photon resonances with doubly excited autoionizing states are studied. ac Stark shifts and broadening of resonances, as well as singlet-triplet transitions, are shown to yield interes

We present a technique for characterizing ultrashort pulses in the spatiotemporal domain with high spatial resolution, based on a spatially-resolved Fourier-transform spectrometer. Spatiotemporal characterization of a pulse with pulse-front tilt is presented.

We present experimental measurements of vacuum ultraviolet light emission processes in a 15-Torr rare-gas medium exposed to a strong 1064-nm laser field. Apart from a small number of lines which correspond to discrete transitions, and a broad continuum emission, we essentially observe the odd harmonics of the laser field, up to very high order. At a 3×1013 W cm-2 laser intensity, the highest-order

We perform detailed calculations of harmonic conversion in a 15-Torr jet of xenon into which a 1064-nm-wavelength 36-ps-pulse-width laser has been tightly focused, so that the peak intensity ranges from 5×1012 to 5×1013 W cm-2. The single-atom emission rates are obtained by integrating the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. We employ an improved atomic model which includes excitation and ionizat

We present a simple, analytic, and fully quantum theory of high-harmonic generation by low-frequency laser fields. The theory recovers the classical interpretation of Kulander et al. in Proceedings of the SILAP III Works hop, edited by B. Piraux (Plenum, New York, 1993) and Corkum [Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 1994 (1993)] and clearly explains why the single-atom harmonic-generation spectra fall off at an

A pulsed-gas jet with interesting properties has been developed. A typical pressure obtained at the output of this pulsed-gas jet is 25 Torr for a backing pressure of 150 Torr. At a repetition rate of 10 Hz, the background pressure stays below 1.5×10-4 Torr. Laser-induced fluoresence measurements permit one to determine the pressure and the divergence of the gas jet accurately.