# The intense laser-atom physics and ionized electron

1. Dec 10, 2008

### xylai

In the intense laser-atom physics, atom can eject high energy electron.
Corkum’s work (PRL 71 1994 (1993)) says that the electron is not ionized immediately. Rather it stays in the vicinity of the ion for one or more laser periods.
I don’t know why the electron stays there for a while and why it is not ionized directly? Can you show me other reports about it?
Best wishes!

2. Dec 10, 2008

### olgranpappy

what is the period of the laser?

3. Dec 10, 2008

### xylai

The paper does not give the parameters of laser. The parameters I used are E0=0.1 a.u. and w=0.2 a.u. (E0: the amplitude; and w: angular frequency)

4. Dec 11, 2008

### olgranpappy

and what is the velocity of the "high energy electron"?

5. Dec 11, 2008

### xylai

The energy of the the "high energy electron" is 0.1a.u., or 0.3 a.u., or 0.5 a.u.,......
But most of the electron have the energy 0.1a.u.
I don't know why you need know these values and how they help us solve the problem?

6. Dec 12, 2008

### olgranpappy

So, assuming that a.u. means "Hartree atomic units" then the energy of the electron is
$$v^2/2 \sim 0.1 {\rm a.u.}\;,$$
and the velocity of the electron is
$$v\sim0.4 {\rm a.u.}\;.$$

Then, since the size of an atom is about
$$3 {\rm a.u.}\;,$$
the time it takes the electron to "leave the atom" is about
$$3/0.4\sim 7.5 {\rm a.u.}\;.$$
This is on the order of the period of the laser. Right?

Maybe this is all that the Corkum paper means by their statement.

7. Dec 12, 2008

### xylai

But the period of the laser is 2*pi/w=31.4a.u. So I need consider this problem deeply.